A Freakalicious Time
by Nathalorial
Summary: Dexter shows up at school early one day, and meets a new student, and quickly makes a new friend. Later however, the villains are coming up with better plans than they used to, and Freakazoid may need some help defeating them. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1 New Girl

**Hello! Okay, so while this may not be the first fanfiction I have ever written, it IS the first one I have published. Rating is subject to change. Please read with an open mind ^_^**

**I do not own Freakazoid. It is owned by Warner Brothers. I do not own Death Note either, nor Bleach. Basically, the only thing on here that I DO own is Onyx and the computer I'm typing it all on, and the story idea. But if I did… ;)**

_Super teen extrordinair! Freakazoid! Freakazoid!  
Runs around in underwear! Freakazoid! Freakazoid!  
Rescues Washington D.C.! Freakazoid! Freakazoid!  
Unless something better's on t.v. Freakazoid! Freakazoid!  
His brain is overloading! It has a chocolate coating!  
Textbook case for Sigmund Freud! Freakazoid! Freakazoid!  
Check out Dexter Douglas, nerd computer ace.  
Went suurfing on the internet and was zapped to cyber space!  
He turned into the Freakazoid, he's strong and super quick!  
He drives the villains crazy, 'cuz he's a lunatic!  
His homebase is the Freakalair! Freakazoid! Fricassee!  
Floyd the Barber cuts his hair! Freakazoid! Chimpanzee!  
Drives arund in the Freakmobile! Freakazoid! Free Kazoo!  
Hopes to make a movie deal! Freaka-me! Freaka-you!  
He's here to save the nation, so stay tuned to this station!  
If not we'll be unemployed! Freakazoid! Freakazoid!  
FREAKAZOID!_

Dexter Douglas walked into his first period class and sat in his usual seat, and yawned. It was 7:30 am, 35 minutes before class was supposed to start. His teacher muttered a hello before going back to her notes, getting ready for the day, then walking out to the office. Dexter sighed, and pulled out a piece of paper and started sketching. He wasn't really that good, but still better than most of the brain-dead jocks and the chatty preps at his school. It wasn't long however before he heard the door open again. Passing it off as another teacher, he ignored it and continued sketching, until he heard a voice over his shoulder.

"Wow, your pretty good at that." A female voice said. The voice startled Dexter so much he jerked and scratched the pencil across the paper. "Oops, sorry…" the voice said. Dexter just pulled a big eraser out and got rid of the mark before turning around to see who it was talking to him.

"It's okay, it's a crap drawing anyways, I'm just passing time." He told her while erasing the mark. Looking up, he was confronted with a pale girl with long blood-red hair. And I mean _long_, as in, she was standing, and it reached her knees. No one in all of Harry Connick High had hair even close to that length! Her eyes were a very dark brown, almost black, much like his own. She was about his height, maybe an inch or so shorter, skinny, moderately-sized bust, and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She also had a purple and black tote bag with Light from Death Note on it. There was another thing about her that Dexter noticed – he had never seen her before.

In Dexter's head, Freakazoid was watching. _**"Ooo, pretty girl!"**_ he squealed. Dexter agreed, but was silently grateful as well that he and Freakazoid could communicate without being heard by others. Just now would have been embarrassing if the girl could hear the Freak.

"Umm, are you new here?" he asked a little shyly. She sat down in the seat behind him.

"Ya, I am actually. I showed up early, hoping to meet some people and perhaps make some friends before school started, but it's as though the place is deserted, kind of disheartening. Just a few teachers. I was actually kinda happy seeing another student here." She said, and smiled. Dexter melted just a little. Freakazoid turned into a puddle in Dexter's head with a goofy grin on his face.

"Well, if you're looking someone to just hang out with, we still have fifteen minutes till class starts, ten minutes at the least until more people start arriving. My name's Dexter." He said, holding his hand out to the girl. She smiled and shook it.

"Hello Dexter, my name is Onyx." She said, then put her purple bag on the desk and pulled out a laptop. "Does the school have free Wi-Fi?" she asked him, turning it on. Dexter shook his head.

"Well, it kinda does, kinda doesn't. In here, you might get two bars, if you're lucky, and then it's really slow. If you want internet that's any good, you would have to be in the commons or the balcony above the commons. That's where it's based here." He explained. She looked at him blankly.

"Oh, sorry. You know the big area to the west of the Office, the big area with a lot of tables?" She nodded her head. "That's the commons, it's also where lunch is served to those that stay on campus for lunch. There is a balcony above it too, if you go up the stairs by the office just before the doors to the commons."

"Oh" was her reply. "Well, that's okay, I was just going to put on some music anyways. I guess I'll just listen to what I already got on here." She pulled out a wireless mouse and clicked a few things before turning on the laptop speakers, up just one notch so they could hear it, but it wouldn't bother any passing teachers in the hallway. Dexter recognized it immediately, though he wasn't surprised. Being virtually connected to the internet because of Freakazoid, it's really a small thing to be able to place the music he heard.

"Hey, isn't that.." she started to say before she cut in.

"The Bleach Soundtrack? Yup." She said, sliding the computer to the side of the desk so she could talk without it in the way.

"Cool, not many people here watch Bleach."

"Really? That's sad, it's an awesome anime."

"Ya, I know. Aizen has some issues though."

"Ya. Haha, he's like a fortune cookie with a God complex!"

"Haha, hadn't heard that one yet. So, what brings you to Washington D.C.? Where ya from?"

"I'm from Eastern Oregon, actually. I moved here with my sister and her husband. He's in the army, and she needed help around the house while he's constantly on call, so Mom and Dad said I could live with her and help her out."

"Wow. That's a long ways to travel. By car or plane?"

"Car. It sucked though, I get motion sickness really bad…"

"Ouch. Well, you might want to turn your comp off, people will be showing up soon. The jocks might think it's mine and then break it."

"Teased much?"

"Ya, you could say that."

"Why?"

"Stereotypes. I'm a 'nerd' and they are 'preps' and 'jocks'. You get the idea from there." He emphasized the words by making quote marks with his fingers. Onyx smiled.

"Ah. Well, nerds don't bother me, most of my friends back in Baker are geeks or nerds in their own way. I suppose we'll get along just fine."

"That's good to know. One less person to avoid."

Onyx laughed, turning her music off and putting her laptop back into its purple Death Note tote, then stuffing it into the back part of her brown back pack. Just then, a group of jocks walked into the class. Dexter visibly stiffened, before turning around and hunching over his desk. Onyx turned to see what the problem was, and was met with the sight of three gorilla-like figures walking towards them.

"Hey pretty girlie, you shouldn't be sitting with someone like him. Bad for your image! You should come sit back here with us." The one in the middle said. The other two were sneering at Dexter and checking the door. Onyx didn't like that look.

"I'm sorry, but if I cared about my image I would have cut my hair years ago. But why would it be bad to sit up here with Dexter?" she asked innocently. Dexter turned around a little to look at her at the mention of his name. The jock smiled, probably thinking he was doing the right thing by helping the 'new misguided girl', and stepped forward, reaching for her to pull her up and bring her to a different section of seats. By now other people were arriving as well.

"Well Miss, let's just say that there are some people that need to be avoided, shall we?" he said, reaching for her left arm. His hand never made it there however, as Onyx had quickly lunged her own hand forward and caught the jocks hand in a vice grip with her thumb in the middle of his palm and the rest of her fingers at the wrist juncture. Basically she had caught his hand and was bending it backwards without putting very much pressure on it.

"Sorry, but I have an issue with people I don't know touching me." She told him when he winced in slight pain. "I can take care of myself when it comes to dealing with people, thanks. Dexter is a friend of mine now, I think I can handle it." She let go of his hand and turned back around in her desk to face Dexter, who was gawking. The jocks looked at each other before turning around to head to their own seats.

In Dexter's head Freakazoid was watching. "_**Girl got spark…**_" he said to himself, though Dexter heard him. He ignored it though. Onyx had pulled out a piece of paper and was writing numbers and symbols on it. The teacher also came in as the bell rang, along with any straggling students. The teacher ran off the list of names for attendance, then got the class' attention.

"Alright ladies and germs and anything in between, I would like to point out a new student to you, my dear if you would introduce yourself?" she said in an annoyingly high-pitched voice. Onyx got up and came to the front of the room, apparently with no stage fright what-so-ever. She did a theatrical bow as everyone gawked at her hair.

"Hello everyone, my name is Onyx Analya, ((A.N. pronounced a-nawl-yah) and I just moved here a few days ago from Eastern Oregon with my sister and her husband." She told them. The teacher moved forwards to ask some questions.

"Thank-you Onyx, you can sit down now." – Onyx went back to her seat – "Now, would you mind telling us where from Oregon you came, and why you're with your sister and not your parents?" Everyone pretty much knew by this time in the year that Mrs. Blank was very intrusive into personal life. Onyx didn't seem to mind.

"I come from Baker City, and like I said, it's in Eastern Oregon. Don't ask why I specify Eastern Oregon unless you want an hour-long rant, please. I moved here with my sister and her husband because he is in the army, so my sister is stuck at home alone, often for months at a time, and she needed some help around the house, especially since she is now pregnant and he can't be home to help out very much. My parents get along just fine by themselves, and they thought I needed to get out of the house some more."

Mrs. Blank thanked her and proceeded to start the class for the day. Onyx turned back to her paper of symbols and numbers, and handed it forward to Dexter when the teacher wasn't looking. He looked at the paper, blinked, and looked again.

|)() '/()|_| ||\|()\/\/ 1337?

It took Dexter a minute to realize what it was. She was asking him if he knew leet. Once he figured it out, he smiled and took his pencil out and made it look like he was taking notes while he wrote, then handed it back to her.

'/35, ! |)(). '/()|_| ||\|()\/\/, '/()|_| 5|-|()|_|1|) 83 [23|=|_|11, 7|-|()53 _|()[|5 \/\/()|\|'7 6!\/3 |_||* 5() 35!1'/...

A few minutes later the paper was handed back to him.

!'11 83 |=!|\|3. \/\/|-|'/, '/()|_| _|31()|_|5?

Dexter blushed a tiny bit. Yes, he sort of was, but he wasn't going to put that down. He replied a little too quickly though, and didn't think out his answer.

|\|(), !7'5 _||_|57 7|-|7 '/()|_|'23 |*2377'/ 6!21, |\||) 7|-|()53 |*27![|_|12 7|-|233 7|-|!|\|| ()|= 6!215 5 |*2()|*327'/, |\|()7|-|!|\|6 |\/|()23…

Her answer wasn't what he expected.

'/()|_| 7|-|!|\|| !'|\/| |*2377'/? 1()1.

He blushed again at that, and went back and read what he had written earlier. Ah nutbunnies. Then he noticed she had written underneath it a few lines.

7|-|7'5 ()|'/. ! 7|-|!|\|| '/()|_|'23 |-||\||)5()|\/|3.

Dexter blinked, then, in a daze, folded the paper up and put it in his back pocket. Class continued on without the note-passing.

Inside his head, Freakazoid was yelling at him.

"_**Dude, you just met her! Don't fall for her yet! Besides, your still dating Steph!"**_

"_Can it, Freak. I'm not falling for her. Besides, Steph is only dating me because of you. It's you she likes, not me. She doesn't even associate with me when I'm in me-form instead of you-form."_

"_**You have a point there kid. I never really liked her **_**that **_**much. But you can't cheat on her until after you dump her!**_

"_Who said anything about cheating and dumping? Onyx is hitting on me, not the other way around."_

"_**Umm, true! What did I win?"**_

"_Nothing, I was stating a fact, not asking a question."_

"_**Okay, so, you're not going to dump Steph?"**_

"_I was thinking about it actually. Like I said, she's only dating me because of you, not because of me."_

Dexter looked across the room at Steph, who was thoroughly involved in a conversation with her girlfriends, most likely about Freakazoid, and ignoring the teacher like most everyone else in class. They always talked over Mrs. Blank, and she never seemed to notice. Sure enough, the two could hear snippets of the conversation, and every other word it seemed was the Freak's name, not Dexter's.

"_**I'm gunna be honest with you Dex. Even though I'm a super hero, it gets a little annoying to be obsessed over all the time. It was fun for a while, but most everything was based on hormones. We're seniors now though, we've matured a little, I think we need to ditch the ditz.."**_

Dexter listened to Steph's conversation a little longer, hoping to hear his name. When it didn't reach his ears, he sighed in agreement with the Freak.

"_Ya, I think we need to dump her. Even now, she just sees you as an item it seems, a trophy sort of. Not a person, not a lover. Neither of us."_

"_**Righto! So, when you going to start hitting on Onyx?"**_

"_I'm not going to hit on her! By the way, YOU have to be the one to dump Steph."_

"_**Okay. Wait, WHAT?"**_

"_You have to dump her, not me."_

"_**WHY?1? Don't you know how violent girls can get when their dumped?"**_

"_I told you already, she won't even associate with me. Besides, you're a super hero. I think you can take some yelling and a slap to the face pretty easily."_

Freakazoid was curled up in a fetal position in a corner of Dexter's head the rest of the class period, mumbling something about_** "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" **_or something like that.

When the bell rang to signal the end of that class period, Dexter stood up and turned to face Onyx.

"Where's your next class?" he asked her. She checked her class schedule.

"Umm, a Mr. Hawthorn?"

"Ah, the band room. I'll show you where it is, if you don't mind. You play an instrument?"

"Yes, thank you. Actually, I play the clarinet. I'm pretty good too, but that was back in Baker. I don't know how different the standards for the band is here though…" she said, picking up her bag and following him out of the class. He turned left and she kept close behind.

"I think they're okay, but I only hear them practice. I never hear the concerts, so I don't know what the end results usually are." He told her, maneuvering through people, seemingly invisible since it was like no one looked at him. Surprisingly, Onyx kept up quite well winding around the people.

They went through the commons, then turned left again and went down a long hallway that had glass showcases in the walls with pottery in them from the art classes. There weren't very many people down this hall. Probably a fifth of the people from the main hallway. They went towards a door that looked like it should be leading outside, but once they were in it they turned right, and Onyx found they were in a small low hallway that was carpeted. There were pictures and trophies in another glass showcase, but they were all for band, choir and theatre. Dexter stopped here and pointed at a set of double-doors made of metal.

"That's the band room. Mr. Hawthorn should be inside. Let him know your there, or he might otherwise forget. He has ADHD, bad. About the only things he hasn't spaced yet at one point or another in the past are the concerts and showing up at the school to teach." He said.

"Okay then, thanks. Your next class?" Onyx asked.

"Art. I got time to get there, so it'll be fine. Have fun!" he said, then turned around and headed to his class. He had gotten her there relatively fast, so he actually _did_ have time to get to class on time. The art room was, in reality, all the way across the school in an out-of-the-way hallway that is only used for art, welding, drafting, and auto mechanics classes.

**Author Notes: Okay, if you want a translation of the leet notes, you can look it up on wikipedia, you might be able to figure it out then. Just go to wiki and type in the search bar '1337'. Or, if you are a lazy bum, you can wait for chapter two, you will find the translation in the authors notes there.**

**Okay, so some of the stuff here is based on truth, some of it isn't. Don't ask, because I won't tell you. If you _really _wanted to find anything out about me, I'm sure you'll figure out how.**

**Remember, read and review! Reviews to me are like gold pieces and jewels to a dragon starting out its hoard - _very precious._ I take suggestions for what should happen, and the more reviews I get the sooner another chapter will come out, hopefully.**


	2. Chapter 2 Lunch Madness

**Hello all! Finally, I am putting up chapter two! I know it's a little shorter than chapter 1, but it was either have a relativly long chapter with an update now, or an epicly long chapter with an update maybe next month =/ Ok, I also promised a translation of the leet notes, didn't I? Well, here it is: "Do you know leet?" "Yes I do. You know, you should be more careful, those jocks won't give up so easily..." "I'll be fine. Why, you jealous?" "No, it's just that you're a pretty girl, and those particular three think of girls as property, nothing more." "You think I'm pretty? lol. That's okay, I think your handsome." There you have it XD Hope you all like this chapter too, I'm actually going through a tough time now because my boyfriend dumped me a few days ago. So, in response, I headbutted him in the face =/ So far I've been congratulated by 6 people for that, including his sunday school teacher and some person I don't know... So now he is being denied his man-card XD My brother-in-law laughed so hard at hearing what happened that he started crying...**

**The Entity of Darkness - Thankyou! Thank you thank you thank you! That's about all I can say right now ^_^**

**SpecialSam - Thank you! Yes, Onyx can take of herself, can't she? lol. Hope you like this chapter too! 8D**

_-I'm a divider, please ignore me-_

By time lunch came around, Dexter had not had any other classes with Onyx. He hadn't even seen her in the hallways, to be honest. That kind of disheartened him a little, but he got over it when Freakazoid kept pestering him with it.

"_Would you shut up about it already! She's just a friend I made four class-periods ago!"_

"_**Ya, but admit it, you like her! Ask her out!"**_

"_I said no, and I just told you, I just met her! I barely got to know her at all, so I don't even know whether or not I'll even like her as a friend when her personality comes out! Besides, she's probably made friends with other people that don't like me by now."_

"_**Ask her ask her ask her ask her ask her as…"**_

"_May I remind you that YOU have to dump Stephanie first."_

"…" Freakazoid went back to his emo corner, sitting in a fetal position. Dexter grinned to himself, finally able to find a way to shut up the Freak.

Dexter walked down the hall to the Commons and up to the lunch line. It wasn't very long, so he didn't have to wait very long. Soon he was heading to a back table nearest to the theatre hallway with tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and some chocolate pudding that had a lot of chocolate chips. Thankfully ha was able to make it to his seat without spilling soup everywhere.

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to biff it with the soup and end up with it all over me and the ground…" he said to himself. A girl on the bench behind him piped up.

"Why would you swear that? You really want to end up all covered in tomato soup?" she asked.

"It's just an expression, Ruby." He said, without even looking to make sure it was her. Dexter didn't actually eat alone. He ate at the theatre table, which was the table in the back of the Commons that was usually over-crowded with people in the drama club. They were all a rag-tag group really, and half of them were not actually in theatre, but sat there because it was one place they were accepted. The theatre group grabbed all of the rejects of the popular cliques, and gave them a place they felt safe, basically.

And they were completely bonkers. Ruby was a prime example, too. She would say the most random of things, and then look at you as if you were crazy if you raised an eyebrow at her. Currently, she was poking her sandwich and staring at it as if it had moved. Dexter returned to his food.

"Mind if I sit here?" he heard a voice say. Dexter looked up and, sure enough, there was Onyx. "Sure, I don't mind" he said, moving his binder onto the ground.

"Just make sure you show Ariel you don't take bull if she tries to come over and get you to move. She seems to think that seat is hers, regardless of who's in it." He said. She shrugged and sat down anyways, putting her bag carefully on the ground.

"If she complains, tough luck. In my mind, it's not her seat unless her bag is in it so the seat is blocked." Onyx said, dipping her sandwich in the soup. "I love grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup…"

"Snoopy snoop?" she heard a voice say. It was Ruby. She was holding onto the zipper of Onyx's bag and looking up at her with puppy eyes.

Onyx did a Joey impersonation at the eyes, raising her arm and leg away from the girl. "Nyeh! Eh, sure, I guess, I got nothing to hide…" she said in a quick shaky voice.

Ruby shot her arms up in a triumphant cry. "Brooklyn Rage!" she shouted, making people stare at them. The two girls immediately started laughing at the silence, and the onlookers eventually went back to their own lunches. Onyx put her limbs down and spoke again in a regular voice.

"Ya, I don't care, just so long as you're not a klepto like me." She said, pulling out a green sharpie and tucking it behind her ear. As if on cue, they heard some person nearby say "Hey, where's my wallet?" and without missing a beat Onyx and Ruby both looked in the direction of the voice and said "Kaiba took it!" before bursting out laughing again, Dexter joining in. The kid just blinked in confusion.

"Wow, that was like, perfect timing!" Onyx said as Ruby sifted through her pencil bag muttering "snoopy snoop…" Dexter chuckled.

"Ah, LittleKuriboh, how shall we ever repay thee for the hours of endless laughing?" he said, holding up his milk carton in a mock-gesture of Hamlet. The two girls giggled. About that time a skinny pale girl with (obviously dyed) orange hair and platform heels showed up, standing behind Onyx with a glare on her face and her arms crossed. Onyx tipped her head back so she was looking at her upside down.

"Hello there girly, you must be Ariel. Nice to meet you." She said in a sing-song voice. Ariel tapped her feet in annoyance.

"Yes, indeed it is Ariel. Now, may I ask what you are doing in my chair?" she asked in an irritated voice. Onyx just blinked at her before tipping her head back up the right way and picking up her own milk carton. "You have eyes, obviously I'm sitting in it, and eating my lunch." She replied, taking a drink.

"Well duh. I don't know who you are hon, but that's _my_ seat, and _you_ need to move." Ariel told, as if that settled it. Onyx didn't move, but looked at her milk for a second before setting it down and turning around in the seat to look at her.

"I don't know what crack your smoking, but you should probably be sharing. This seat belongs to the school, and unless your bag is in it before I reach it, it is not considered taken in my book. There is a perfectly good chair over there, pick it up and move it over here. Otherwise, deal." She told her, then turned back around and went back to her soup. Ariel gave an annoyed huff and walked off. Dexter gave a low whistle.

"She isn't going to be happy in government class…" he said, watching her. Ruby scoffed at her though.

"Whatever, she's always unhappy. She gets absorbed into her vampire books and shuts out reality, then expects life to revolve around her when she comes back out. If you ask me, she needs professional help."

Onyx was the next to speak. "I saw a… CSI episode, I think it was? Or maybe Criminal Minds, one of the two, it was an episode on vampires. But there was a guy on there that said 'It appeals to desperate sad people with, at best, a tenuous hold on reality'. Does that apply to her?" she asked. Ruby looked up and nodded her head, once again with wide eyes.

"That is probably the best description of her I've heard as of yet." She said.

"Wow, that's sad. Let's move on to a happier subject? I am ashamed to admit that I was obsessed with them at one point…" Onyx said, taking the green sharpie and randomly coloring a strand of her hair.

"Who hasn't been?" Dexter asked, slumping in his seat and finishing his pudding. "Oh ya, Onyx, the snoopy girl is Ruby. She's about as crazy as they get…"

"'Ello! I found balloon!" Ruby interrupted, holding up a deflated green balloon she found in Onyx's pencil bag.

"I see that." Onyx laughed.

"…without being qualified for the insane asylum, yet." Dexter finished.

"They're coming to take me away, hahaa, they're coming to take me away, hoho heehee hahaa to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away, hahaaa!" Onyx started singing under her breath, still coloring hair.

In Dexter's head, Freakazoid continued to sing the song from where Onyx left off.

"You sure you should be doing that?" Dexter asked, watching her and ignoring the blue guy. "Won't that ruin your hair?"

"Meh, I got enough of it that it shouldn't matter too much." She replied, then put the sharpie away again.

"Okay, if you say so. So how's school here so far?"

"It's okay so far, not too many troubles. Just the regular issues with not knowing what the hell everyone around me is doing because of moving in the middle of the quarter, and not knowing anyone either to ask for help. Tomorrow should be better, granted I get some sleep tonight." She said, putting her pencils back in the bag as Ruby took them out and lined them up. Neither of them got very far like that.

They finished their food and got up to throw away their Styrofoam trays. "So, have troubles sleeping?" he asked, grabbing Rubies empty tray as well. Onyx nodded.

"Sorta. For one, like I said earlier, my sister is pregnant, so I got to take care of her. It's not that bad though, she isn't very far along. Also, this is a new place, new house to live in, new bed to sleep in, new sounds to get used to, you get the idea. I've got to get used to this place. I also tended to wander the streets at night back in Oregon when I got bored with whatever was on my computer." She said, walking back to the table. Dexter put his hands in his pockets.

"I understand a little. Takes me forever to get to sleep when my dad makes us go camping. But that's mostly because my brother keeps hitting my arm…" he said, rubbing his arm at the thought. "But I sneak out sometimes too. My family is crazy. Actually, half the time I can just walk right past them in the front room and go out the door, and they won't even notice when I'm gone for hours." He ended in a chuckle.

"Cool. Maybe you can show me around town sometime. I honestly have no idea where anything here is besides the apartment, the grocery store, and the school… and I'm not even sure on those! Haha. Hey, you should meet my sister after school, she'll be picking me up till we get a better idea of the layout. She's really awesome!"

"Haha, alright, sure then. I don't have anything more to do today anyways, homework is usually pretty light around here so long as you keep it done." He said, picking up his bag and checking the clock. The bell was going to ring soon, preps and jocks were starting to file in with fast food or sub-sandwiches and cokes – usually a good indicator. Onyx grabbed her back as well after putting all of her stuff back in it – Ruby had it all arranged in neat piles on the table. She checked her schedule and looked around her.

"Next class?" Dexter asked, looking at the paper. "Computer class, right? I'll show you there, the bell is going to ring in a minute anyways." He said, and started heading towards the eastern entry to the commons. Onyx followed.

"Thanks. Let's see, a Mrs. Zimbormun? That's an odd name…" she said, following him up the stairs. "Oh, they have an elevator! That's unexpected… how many times does it get broken?" she asked once they got to the top. To the left was the balcony, and there was also an elevator. Dexter walked onto the balcony. It overlooked the Commons. Onyx waved down at Ruby.

"Actually, I don't remember a time it ever was broken. The only people that ever have a key to the elevator are those with injuries, like broken bones or in wheelchairs, and the teachers or T.A.'s when they need to bring up a TV or something else on a cart up. No one else is allowed to use it unless they're helping said people, and the cameras monitor it pretty well." He explained, pointing to a black globe on the ceiling by the wall. Onyx could barely make out a camera underneath the globe. They turned around and walked back to the hallway and down it, heading for the far end as the bell rang.

"Ah, I get it now. Back in Baker they just had Coach R., that was what we called the strongest teacher at the school, carry the kids up, and they had a room with electricals in it already up there so they didn't have to carry them up and down the stairs. The new school being built though should have one, it was in the plans. The old school is becoming unstable…" she said, looking around. Dexter stopped, causing her to almost run into him.

"Sorry." He said. "We're here. This room is kind of out of the way, so it's easy to miss if you don't already know where it is. Personally I think they did that on purpose, since the school is made up of more muscles and looks, less brains it seems…" he said, laughing.

"Thanks again, haha. So, talk to you after school?" she said. Dexter grinned.

"Yup! You can count on that. See ya!" he called, waving as he went down the stairs at this end of the hall. Onyx turned and went into her computer class.

_-I'm a divider, please ignore me-_

_**So, there you go, next chapter might be delayed a bit like this one was, because the Miners Jubillee and Bull and Bronc Blowout Ridings are this weekend... Oh, and of course my grief over my ex, but thats being absorbed by my computer =/**_


	3. Chapter 3 Mario Kart and Pizza!

**Meh, I spy typos in chapter two =/ Oh well. I also forgot something from last chapter, and this is it – the disclaimer. CSI, Criminal Minds, and Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged do not belong to me, they belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and LittleKuriboh. And everything I use in this chapter (oh god, there is so much…) does not belong to me either.**

_-I'm a divider, please ignore me.-_

Finally, the bell to signal the end of the day went off. High schoolers ran off like a stampede to get away from the building or to go to after-school activities. Dexter waited for the initial rush to subside before making his way outside to find Onyx. He found her next to a white suburban, talking to a woman about mid twenties with pixy-short hair that was really dark brown.

"_**Let's see, color coding in the guide book of fantasy land says that brown hair is just an average person, while red hair definitely signifies magical powers, even if they may be very small."**_ Freakazoid said, putting on a mock pair of glasses and looking at a book while sitting on the couch in Dexter's mind.

"_Would you cut it out? You'll make me nervous for no reason!"_ Dexter told him.

"_**Aww, but Dex, you practically have a date with her already! You're going to show her around town tonight, remember?"**_ He whined back. _**"Hey, I know, take her to Mike's, have a papaya slushy!"**_ Dexter shuddered, but it actually didn't sound like such a bad idea. About that time Onyx noticed him and waved him over.

"Hey Dex, this is my sister, Clera Sawyer. Sis, this is my new friend, Dexter. He is going to help me figure out where things are around town later." She said, putting her stuff in the back of the vehicle.

"Hi! How ya doin'?" Clera asked, leaning forward on the steering wheel and looking out the passenger side window. You could tell she was just beginning to show that she was pregnant.

"I'm doing okay." Was about all Dexter could come up with. Mentally he slapped himself. Clera continued talking as Onyx climbed into the passenger seat.

"Good, good. Hey, I gotta take Onyx home and then I have some errands to run. Your welcome to come over in the meantime, maybe eat dinner with us, I'll probably pick up some pizzas on the way home." She said, and started clearing the papers and boxes off of one of the back seats without waiting for an answer.

"Oh, well, okay, I guess. I gotta go home and check in with mom and dad first though…" he said. Onyx just shook her head at the statement and helped her sister clear the back seats.

"Get in, we'll take you home first, just give us the directions." She said, shooing her sister back to the driver's seat. "Go sit down, sheesh. It's bad enough you insist on doing the errands without my help, sis." She told her. Clera just gave her an amused look and sat down.

"I'm not helpless yet, love. I was taught to do things on my own, just like you, and I intend to continue doing things on my own until I have no other choice but to let others do it for me." She said, and Onyx climbed back into the passenger seat while Dexter got in the back seat. Onyx looked back at Dexter.

"Isn't life wonderful?" she asked sarcastically, grinning. Clera and Dexter laughed at her while they started up the suburban. "So Dex, where do ya live?" Clera asked him. Onyx rolled the window back up.

"Turn left up here" he said, then continued to give them directions as they went through the city. When they reached his house, he ran inside to drop off his bag, yelled to his parents that he was going to a friend's house, and ran back out to the vehicle. Before he got to open the backseat door however, Duncan got to him.

"Hey Dork, where ya goin?" he said, leaning on the door to stop it from opening and punching Dexter in the arm.

"Seriously, Duncan? I thought you would have grown up now, but apparently I'm wrong. Now move." Dexter replied, trying to shove past his brother to open the door. He failed miserably though. Onyx rolled the window back down to listen.

"No can do, brother. Now answer my question – where ya goin?" Duncan said, grabbing Dexter's wrists and holding them up so he couldn't do anything. Struggling was useless here.

"To get away from you, ya happy now? Or need I remind you of the blue guy that keeps popping up every now and then?" Dexter told him, hanging about an inch off the ground. Duncan visibly paled at the mention of the 'blue guy' and let go of Dexter's wrists, dropping him onto the ground and running back inside the house. Dexter picked himself up and dusted his shorts off before getting in the vehicle. Onyx leaned around the seat to look at him as Clera backed out of the driveway.

"Blue guy? What, is he seeing smurfs appear in the garden or something?" she asked, laughing. Dexter shook his head.

"Oh, that's right, you guys are new here. This 'blue guy' that I mentioned is actually the city's own superhero, surprisingly enough. Duncan claims he keeps appearing out of no-where and wrestles him to the ground. None of us are ever around when this supposedly happens though, so mom thinks he's going crazy, haha!"

Clera spoke up here. "So, Dr. Drakken became good or something? What's this superhero's name? she asked, looking at him from the rear-view mirror.

"No, though that would be interesting. His name is Freakazoid." Dexter said, leaning back in the seat and looking outside. Onyx rolled the window the rest of the way down and a blast of air came through.

"So who is in this Freakazoid's gallery of villains?" Clera asked, turning uptown.

"Um, well, there is Cave Guy… he's a large caveman looking guy with purple-ish skin, wears a leapord-skin loincloth… but even though he looks big and stupid, he's actually very smart. Then there is the Lobe. I'm not entirely sure on his story, but his head is actually a huge brain, no skull, no hair, really grotesque. Next is Cobra Queen. She doesn't have hair either, instead she has this odd-looking blue and black leotard that she wears. She has scaly skin and can control snakes. Her own fault there though – she wouldn't be that way if she hadn't been a thief. Let's see, there is also Armando Guitierrez… he seems obsessed with killing Freakazoid, he doesn't care about conquering the world like the other villains. He's also the only villain that knows Freakazoid's weakness…"

"Did you say Armando Guitierrez?" Clera asked.

"Ya, why?"

"Wasn't he the guy that created the pentacle chip?" Onyx asked. Dexter shook his head.

"He didn't create it, he just owned the company that did. In reality, he knows very little about computers."

"Oh."

"Where was I.. oh ya. Next there is Arms Akimbo. He is your basic mob type – demands pay from people in return for not making them go out of business for some reason or other. Usually vandalism. There is also Longhorn. He's all over the news all the time, so I don't think I need to go into detail for him. Then there is Kid Carrion. Basically he is just a mix between an old west shootist and a scarecrow. He's not much of a threat. Then there is Waylon Jeepers. He's a really creepy guy that has a bunch of magical pocket-watches, including one that turns beavers to gold and one that turns living creatures into stone. He also summoned a demon named Vorn the Unspeakable. He looks a lot like Cthulhu. Last I knew those two were in jail though. There is the Milkman, he's pretty useless really, just a crack villain. There is Dr. Mystico, but you won't run into him unless your marooned on some island near France. There was a robot looking thing called the Nerdator, but he wasn't very much of a threat. Freakazoid actually saved him from a fate worse than death. There was a pharaoh everyone called 'Invisibo' because he was invisible, but he was easy to catch once he got covered in white flour… Um, I think that's it…oh ya, then there is the 'real' boogieman, he looks like the boogieman from 'Nightmare Before Christmas' when he was skinnier. You can't say his name though, or he'll find you. Oh, and Freakazoid isn't necessarily on best terms with the dictator of Vuka Nova either… and there is this kid running around scaring the crap out of everyone, he's called 'Fan Boy'. You can just imagine the terrors he puts out when he is at a convention… even the other cosplayers are scared of him."

"Wow, big monolog. You wouldn't think that there were any good villains anymore. Are any of these guys much of a threat?" Onyx asked. Dexter shrugged.

"Really, I don't think so. Not unless you're caught in the crossfire. Most of them are just thieves or vandalize the town. Or have a personal beef with Freakazoid. Vorn and Jeepers are pretty bad, but like I said, they are in jail. The dictator of Vuka Nova is only a threat outside the U.S borders, Invisibo has been sent back to the grave I believe, and the Lobe gets disheartened so easily by some well-phrased ridicule. In all honesty, all of the villains have great potential to be dangerous, but it's like they just don't get it. The only ones I believe we civilians need to really worry about at this point are Longhorn and Cave Guy, and _maybe_ Cobra Queen, but only her if you're near a store AND a sewer opening at night. And Guitierrez is only a threat to Freakaziod himself."

"Sweet. I'm tempted to go urban exploring now, haha!" Clera said. Onyx glared at her as the vehicle pulled into a driveway.

"You, dear sister, are not going UEing anywhere until after you have had that baby and it's a couple months old!" she scolded, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out. Dexter followed suit.

"Ya, ya, I get it. See you guys in a few, I'm going to pay bills now." Clera told her, pulling back out of the driveway. Onyx waved as Dexter looked around as Freakazoid went ballistic in his mind.

"_**Oh my gosh, you were left at her house ALONE with her! Score!"**_ The Freak did little leaps of joy. Dexter blushed for a second before clearing it.

"_Would you cut it out already! Your almost embarrassing!" _he scolded him.

"_**Aaww, your no fun."**_ Freakazoid replied, crossing his arms and sitting on the mini couch.

"So, what do you wanna do? I got board games, computer games, play station games, we could watch funny movies on YouTube, or we could wander around town like we talked before." Onyx said, leading him into an air-conditioned white house.

"Well, I think we should leave wandering around town until later tonight when it's cooler outside…" Dexter said, sitting on the ground in front of the air conditioner. "and I think I surf the internet enough as it is at home. So, why don't we play a game?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Sure! What type? Like I said before, we got board games, computer games, play station games, we could even play a word game." Onyx said, sitting down.

"_**Oooh, oooh, does she have Apples to Apples? I love Apples to Apples!" **_Freakazoid asked, bouncing in his seat.

"_But Freakazoid, Apples to Apples requires at least three people, and you can't separate yourself from me, nor should we trust her enough yet to let her know that you are me."_ Dexter replied, frowning. Onyx noticed the frown.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, worried. Dexter caught himself and smiled.

"No, it's nothing, I was just thinking. Umm, since there is only two of us maybe a video game would be best." He said, glancing at the TV.

"Sure, let me pull the box out of the garage. Having someone over gives me motivation to get the rest of my crap unpacked at some point or other, haha!" She went towards the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. "Feel free to look around while I get the stuff set up. Just don't go in the room at the end of the hall, it's my sisters room." Onyx handed him the glass and went back out the door they had come in.

Dexter looked around the room. The walls were a beige color, and the curtains were a dark green. The over the TV was an Egyptian picture, hieroglyphs and designs painted in bright colors on papyrus paper. In one shelf was a lot of books, most of them related to D&D, a good amount western novels, a bunch of mythology books, and a few fantasy novels. In another shelf a number of miniature decorated cows from the Cow Parade series, as well as two horses from the Trail of Painted Ponies. A lot of the decorations around the walls were other-wise western.

"_Well, she did say that they came from Eastern Oregon…"_ Dexter thought.

"_**Maybe they grew up on a ranch or farm, or had close relatives or friends that lived in the country."**_ Freakazoid provided.

"_Maybe, Eastern Oregon from my understanding is mostly highland desert, mountains, and pine forests, so it's highly probable." _Dexter replied, looking at a metal-worked silhouette of a cowboy on a horse. It had something done to it to make it look as if oil had spilled on it, with the dark rainbow colors appearing here and there.

"_**Oooh, pretty colors!"**_ Freakazoid squealed. Dexter laughed at that.

"Whatcha laughin' at?" he heard Onyx's voice say. She had come back in with a box in her arms.

"Oh, just thought of something is all." He replied, going over to take the box from her.

"Thanks. I got both a play station and a play station 2, as well as one game for the wii." She said, leading him over to the TV and started hooking up the game systems. Dexter perused the games at the base of the box, before pulling out Mario Kart for the Wii.

"Can we play this?" he asked, holding it up.

"Sure! Just realize that when Taylor gets home he is going to want to challenge us. He loves that game and is a pro at it. You want to use the regular Wii controllers or the wireless Nintendo controllers?" she asked, holding the two different ones up.

"Umm, the Nintendo ones. Who is Taylor?" he asked, taking the controllers and syncing them while Onyx continued hooking up the other systems as well and storing them in the cupboard under the TV.

"He's my brother-in-law, a.k.a. my sister's husband. He's actually the reason we have these game systems, cause I'm too shy to ask for something that costs more than fifty bucks unless it's an a Christmas wish list. He just takes his extra pocket money and goes out and buys them off of his army buddies."

"But I thought you said you were with your sister since he was always gone." Dexter was confused.

"I did, and I am. He's on a break period for the next two weeks from being stationed in Korea, but he still works at the barracks during the day for some extra money. Right now he should be finishing up at the barracks and driving back. Probably texting sis too to figure out who's buying pizza." She put the Wii in front of the TV and shoved the two play stations into the cupboard, then dragged the box with the games over and just left it next to the Wii.

"I got the controllers synced, you want first or second?" Dexter asked, holding a red and a black controller. Onyx snatched the black one.

"Whichever one is this one." She said, and put the game in. The next half hour they raced each other probably a dozen times before they heard the door open and slam shut, accompanied by a "Onyx! Iddi wa!" Onyx quickly paused the game and went to the back door. Dexter followed as far as the kitchen.

When Onyx came back she was holding two huge uncooked pizzas and a large lunchbox, and there was a really tall, bald, dirty man in about his mid twenties with an orange shirt with reflectors on it behind her carrying a gun belt and a camouflage jacket. They sat the stuff down on the table and Taylor looked at Dexter, and smiled in a freaky way that showed his teeth and curling his lips in.

"Hi." He said, looking like a psycho.

"Umm, hi…" Dexter said back, a little uneasily. Onyx poked Taylor's arm.

"Would you stop it, your freaking him out." She scolded him, laughing at the same time. Taylor laughed and relaxed his smile so it looked normal.

"Just kidding. Nice ta meetcha, I'm Taylor, Onyx's brother-in-law." He said, holding his hand forward. Dexter shook it.

"Umm, thanks. I'm Dexter. I just met Onyx today at school." He said, still a little uneasy; Taylor hadn't let go of his hand yet. Onyx poked him in the arm again.

"Taylor… seriously, your freaking out my friend."

"What? I'm just waiting to see if he tries squeezing." He said, letting go. "Well what are you guys doin?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"We were playing Mario Kart." Onyx told him, putting the pizzas in the fridge and emptying his lunchbox.

"Sweet! You any good?" he asked Dexter.

"Um, well, I'm pretty fare I guess, I keep up with Onyx on it and have beaten her a few times." He said. Taylor smiled.

"Cool, cool, well I'm going to go shower, change out of this nasty thing, and then I expect a race from you too on that game." He said, walking down the hallway. Onyx walked past Dexter into the front room again.

"Told you he'd want to challenge us when he got back." She said, grabbing her controller. Dexter grabbed his too as she un-paused the game. Onyx beat him this race. About half-way through the second race Taylor came back out and grabbed a grey controller and waited for them to finish so he could sync his controller and race with them. In the meantime, he grabbed his own laptop and turned on some rock music. Dexter beat Onyx this time.

"Aw man, I was so close too! Hey Taylor, you gunna sync that controller or what?" Onyx said, leaning back on the couch. They were sitting on the floor.

"Way ahead of ya, kid." He said. The next hour was filled with sounds of angry noises, laughter, and yelling at the TV and each other. Onyx's character was Princess Peach, Dexter had Luigi, and Taylor had Bowser. They were in the middle of racing on the Rainbow Road when Clera walked in the door.

"Hello! I come bearing groceries!" she called from the door. Taylor paused the game and they went to go help bring them in. With all four of them it only took one trip to get everything in. Taylor shut the back of the suburban and followed them in, also shutting the door. Once everything was put away, Taylor, Dexter and Onyx went back into the front room to continue playing the game while Clera pulled the pizzas out of the fridge and put them in the oven, and watched them play the game while it baked, occasionally making lewd comments, which sparked whole conversations/arguments filled with perverted innuendos. Yes, Onyx's family was perverted. Very perverted.

When pizza was ready they turned the game off and brought out TV trays. They ate almost all of those two pizzas while watching Deadliest Warrior.

"Man, I still can't believe the Comanche Warrior won! I was rooting for the Mongol!" Onyx said when the show was done and they were cleaning up.

"I know, right? The Mongols ruled almost all of Asia for such a long time, and it was the bow and their tactics that allowed them to do that." Taylor said, putting the plates in the dishwasher.

"But you have to realize that the Comanche Warrior only won by twenty-five kills. And besides, that simulation at the end put it in the Comanche's favor, too. And besides, Deadliest Warrior usually only pits singular warriors at each other, not armies. A lot of it would have to do with the training and skill of the specific warrior at the time." Clera said, then took the pizza boxes outside to the large garbage can.

"Ya, it sucks. So, what are your guys plans for tonight?" Taylor asked.

"Dexter was going to show me around town to kind of help figure out where everyone was and meet some people." Onyx said, putting the TV trays up.

"Ah, so you guys have a daaaaate, huh?" Taylor leared, teasing them. Onyx and Dexter both blushed bright red.

"NO! No, no no! It's not a date!" Onyx stammered. Clera came in and saved them.

"Taylor, stop it." She said kindly. "You know my sister is nothing like I was, except for the sneaking out at night. Even then, all she does is wander around town, that's how she knew El Paso even better than you did, and _you_ were the one chasing guys down alleyways, not her. Besides, you have been teaching her self defense, and I'm sure Dexter isn't the type of guy to take advantage of her." She told him. "And she is still virgin too, which is a lot more than anyone is our family can say by this age." She added, laughing. Onyx blushed again.

"I value my virginity, thanks. I think we're gunna go now…" she said, sidestepping out of the kitchen then running out the door with Dexter right behind her. They could here he sister and brother-in-law laughing at them.

"They always like that?" Dexter asked, walking backwards down the sidewalk a little ahead of her.

"Not all the time, they are just teasing me for 'bringing a boy home' is all. I know Taylor means well, but he also makes it his personal goal to nearly scare the crap out of any boy I meet." She said, putting her hands in her pockets. Dexter turned around and fell back beside her so they walked next to each other.

"Goal achieved, I don't want to get on his bad side…" he said. They kept walking till they reached 'uptown'.

_-I am just a divider, please ignore me-_

**A/N - That's about it for this chapter, remember, reviews are super-special-awesome! =D Oh, and y'all are just going to **_**LOVE**_** this, I'm sure. I got this idea from a YouTube video, link will be on my profile in a while if you want to watch it. Just read the following:**

**Hello, my name is Nathalorial. As a writer, feedback is very important to me, no matter how negative. With this is mind, I have devised a small contest. I urge you, as a reader, to make a review to this chapter, of yourself delivering a death threat to me in the form of a written report. Please cover the full details of your plan to kill me, as necessary: 1. How you will find me, 2. How you will capture me, 3. What methods of torture you will inflict upon me (if applicable), 4. How you will end my life, 5. How you will dispose of my body (if applicable), and 6. How you imagine you would feel, having killed me. I will be judging your reviews personally. Points will be awarded based on creativity, delivery, attention to detail, and general malice. The lucky winner will receive an honorary restraining order from me. That's about it, so thank you, good luck, and threaten away! ;) It only works for this chapter though, so if you come in late and I already have the next chapter up, then tough luck, sorry… I will post winners in the top authors notes on the next chapter ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4 Slushies from Bob!

**Man, I really need to get off my bum and pay more attention to this =/ It might help with all of the typos I keep seeing… I know this is short, but I wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten you all! I value my readers very much ^_^ Oh, and I know I have been gone for a long time, but my motivation muse disappeared. Then it came back. Yes, boys and girls, The Entity of Darkness is now my motivation muse. Oh, and Entity, I have an easter egg for you! Let's see if you can find it! *giggles* Well, it's not that hard to find, but I'll give you a cookie anyways =/ And I apologize, but I can't for the life of me find out the name of the papaya stand guy . Until I do find it, we shall refer to him as Bob. Bob is a good name. Bob is also the name of the sun, see - Big Orange Ball, hence, BOB. Oh, and since I have never been to Washington DC before, I'm gunna make up a bunch of places they end up going to in the future =/ **

**The Entity of Darkness – Yes, Taylor scared many people. He's based on my actual brother-in-law. Real nice, but can be a total asshole sometimes without realizing it XD**

**Special Sam – Yes, I will get to the breaking up with Steph soon, trust me. But realize, I don't really have much of a plot planned out for this, it just kinda goes where it wants when I type XD I should probably get out of that habit…**

**Chocolate Tunda – CONGRATULATIONS! You have won my contest! As your prize, you win your very own honorary **_**restraining order!**_** It's not like you had much competition though, no one else had the guts to send me death threats. *glares at the two above***

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Freakazoid, but it's on my to-do list. For some time in the future… the very distant future… I think.**

_.:I'm a divider, please ignore me XD:._

"So, oh wonderful native of Washington D.C., where are we going to go first?" Onyx asked, looking at Dexter. He veered off to the left, and Onyx followed.

"Well, I was thinking about introducing you to a few friends of mine. You like papaya?" he suddenly asked. Onyx looked confused.

"Umm, I don't know, I've never had papaya… what does that have to do with these friends of yours?" she asked.

"Well, one of my friends owns a papaya stand. The other friend I want you to meet is an old cop, his name is Mike Cosgrove." He told her, strolling down the street. They passed a few ominous looking alley-ways, now that they were in the middle of downtown. Onyx had to restrain herself from randomly running down one of them to explore.

"So, does this 'Freakazoid' guy fight just super villains, or does he take care of regular crime too, like the occasional hold-up at a gas station and kidnappings and such? Petty crime?" Onyx asked. Dexter seemed to think about it for a minute.

"You know, he doesn't really deal with the petty crime very much. It seems that petty crime has hit an all-time low, even the Huntsman has issues finding someone to put away." Dexter told her. He hadn't really thought about it until now, but him and Freakazoid never thought to look into the petty crime, or any crime for that matter if it didn't involve a previously known villain.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Onyx asked, noticing the look on his face. Dexter snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing. What brought up the question, anyways?" he asked. Onyx looked hopefully down another passed alley-way.

"Well, if crime is so low here that other heroes seem to be going out of business, then there would be nothing wrong in going down one of those alleys to explore, right?" she asked. In Dexter's head, Freakazoid was watching everything as if his eyes were glued to a T.V.

Dexter grabbed Onyx's arm and tugged her away from the alley and towards a stand just down the street. "Okay, now that is just asking for trouble. Last time Steph did that she was attacked by a rather disgusting monster that never showed up anywhere else…" he said, letting go of her once they were a good distance away from the offending alley.

As they were about to cross the street, a black and blue blur of a motorcycle sped past them, nearly running them over. "You mad woman!" Dexter yelled at it, before they crossed, this time looking before going.

"_**You know, I have this weird sensation that I know that motorcycle in another fandom…"**_ Freakazoid told Dexter.

"_Ya, I do too… must be all the time we spend on the computer."_ Dexter replied. They shrugged it off and Dexter and Onyx walked up to papaya stand. A man with a tiny paper hat was behind the counter cleaning one of the slushy makers. When he spoke, he had a slight Jersey accent.

"Heya Dexter. If ya want a papaya slushy, better get it now. I'm closing down soon for the night." he said. Dexter sat on one of the chairs that was out, and Onyx followed suit.

"Thanks. Actually I was going to get two tonight, Bob." Dexter told him. 'Bob' looked over and noticed Onyx for the first time.

"Hello there, and who is this beauty that's with ya?" he said, grabbing some plastic disposable cups and filling them with some slushy-looking drink. Onyx blushed at the comment.

"I'm Onyx, nice to meet you." She said. Bob set the two cups down before sitting down himself.

"I'm Bob, nice ta meet ya. I run this papaya stand." He said, holding his hand out. Onyx shook it.

"Dexter is showing me around the city, since I just moved here. I don't know where anything is, and I'm not used to living in a big city." She told him, then took a sip of her slushy. It was good. Onyx drank some more. Next to her, Dexter's cup was a quarter of the way empty already.

"_**No fair, how come **_**I**_** get the brain freeze when **_**you**_** are the one drinking the slushy!"**_ Freakazoid complained to Dexter, clutching his head and sitting in a fetal position. Dexter chuckled a bit.

"_Not my fault. You are in my head, therefore logic dictates _you_ get the brain freeze."_

"_**Logic doesn't dictate anything about us!"**_ Freakazoid replied.

Onyx looked over at Dexter when he chuckled. "Something funny, Dex?" she asked. He looked up.

"Oh no, I was just thinking of something is all."

"You seem to do that a lot I noticed."

"Ya, it happens when you keep to yourself most of the time."

"_**Next time I come here you are **_**so**_** getting the brain freeze of a lifetime." **_Freakazoid told him. Dexter had to turn away and use every ounce of strength he had not to appear to be laughing. His chest hurt from the effort, he swore he just cracked a rib. Finally getting himself under control, he turned back to the other two. Onyx was focused on her slushy and Bob had gone back to cleaning up.

Sighing, Dexter stood up and stretched, throwing the empty cup into the nearby trash can. Freakazoid was muttering something about 'slushy revenge'. Dexter ignored him.

"So, where should we go next?" he asked Onyx. She stood up too, though her cup was still half-full. "You can take that with you." Dexter told her, and they started walking again. "See ya Bob!" he shouted over his shoulder. The stand owner waved his hand at them before pulling a cable and the stand closed.

"Well, I don't know. You're the tour guide, not me." Onyx said, looking around. She couldn't go shopping right now, the stores were all closed. And she didn't think Dexter would go for that anyways. So that pretty much ruled out a lot of places. So maybe getting showed around at night wasn't the best idea, every place was closed. Dexter interrupted her thoughts.

"There are still places that aren't shops. There is the park, the river, exploring around the school, you get the idea." He told her, pointing in the general direction of each one. "Or we could go looking for trouble in the alley's like you wanted before and have to wait for Freakazoid to rescue us from some weird creature." He added sarcastically. Onyx laughed.

"Please, I know I haven't seen any of these villains or creatures yet, but I used to run around the gang-riddled streets of El Paso, and avoided getting caught by them almost every time. Whatever these villains are, I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle." She replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Dexter didn't look convinced though, and she frowned.

"Okay then, how about the park." She finally said. Dexter perked up then.

"Alright, the park it is then!" He said, heading in that direction. Onyx followed, slurping the last of her slushy.


	5. Chapter 5 Bonjour Lobey!

**Hello peeps! I return ^_^ Okay, so I have been informed that the name of the papaya slushy guy is Mike. Honestly, that's what I thought it was at first, but I was absolutely positive later that it wasn't, because the cops name is also Mike. So we have Mike the slushy guy, and Mike Cosgrove. I won't go back and edit, but I will be using Mike's actually name now, he will no longer be Bob. I also noticed that I did actually call him Mike in the beginning of chapter 3 XD Silly me, haha! Okay, mini Mike rant done, lol.**

**So, I apologize for being gone so long =( I've been having issues, family and computer alike. As well as writer's block =/ You know your life sucks when you have both writer's block and art block . I can't promise that this won't happen again, because I'm sure that if I did then my life would go splat, so to avoid a splat life, I won't promise, haha! Thanks for not giving up on me though guys! *big hugz* I'll try to make this extra long though to compensate. Don't hate me if I fail though, I'm only human .**

**Disclaimer: Give me a minute here… *goes and checks bank account* Nope, I don't own Freakazoid yet =( If I did, I would put out t-shirts with Mike Cosgrove on them pointing at you saying "HEY! Cut it out." And we all know that those would sell like crazy and I would become a multimillionaire just because of that t-shirt. Sadly, I still am short on money =/**

_.:I know how to use the divider lines, but I like this method better XD:._

The Lobe paced back and forth in his lair, his two henchmen watching him with slightly worried, and bored, expressions on their faces. He had been pacing for the last half an hour, occasionally muttering to himself and rubbing his head. After a few more minutes, his henchman turned and started a game of cards.

A few cards fell to the ground though, when Lobey stopped his pacing and pounded his fist on the table, an almost defeated look on his face.

"Umm, boss, you alright?" one henchman dared to ask. Lobe glared at him.

"Am I alright? Am I alright? Do I _look _alright to you?" he half shouted at the poor man, who shook his head quickly. The Lobe swiped his hand across the table, scattering cards and dice all onto the floor.

"I have had idea after idea, plan after plan, tried trap after trap, and no matter what I do, Freakazoid always stops me! I tried elaborate plans to take over the world, involving clowns and green clouds, kidnapped his girlfriend even! I even enlisted the help of other super villains like me, and NOTHING WORKED!" He was back to pacing throughout the rant, and stopped again, hitting the table with both hands this time, before jumping back in pain and clutching his hand. So he kicked the offending table. Great, now his hand _and_ his foot hurt. The Lobe cursed to himself and turned around, storming out of the lair and slamming the door shut behind him. His henchmen got up to follow, but he opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Don't follow me everywhere, dang it! I can't even seem to go to the bathroom without you standing by the door!" with that he slammed the door again. His two henchmen looked at each other, before picking up the cards and dice off the floor and going back to their game.

_.:I'm a divider, please ignore me XD.:_

The Lobe walked down the street, hands in his pockets and head hunched down, thinking. What am I saying, he's always thinking. Lobey sighed and stopped on a corner, looking up at the mostly empty city. You could almost hear the melodramatic music in the background, with the mood the Lobe was in right now. He sighed again and looked back down, crossing the street and heading towards the river.

Walking along the bank of the river, he stopped for a moment to try and skip a rock, but failed. The rock splashed into the rippling water and quickly sank. Lobe watched the water for a moment before walking along the bank again, as the river wound into the park. Nearby up the bank was a bench. Lobey made his way to it and sat, leaning back and watching the river.

Why didn't any of his plans work? He couldn't go have a fancy relaxing dinner and big musical number without that blue and red bozo showing up. He couldn't successfully take over the world, or even his own city, or even kidnap a blonde bimbo without his plans being foiled. Knowing his luck he probably couldn't walk into a convenience store and steal a candy bar without it getting screwed up. The Lobe put his face in his hands, near tears. He was a failure, and he knew it. Failure, a hoax, comic relief for the police force and the prison guards, wishy-washy, money maker for his henchmen. Actually, paying his henchmen and entombing people in cement seemed to be the only thing he could do right. He'd probably be better off teaching at the nearest college or high school.

The Lobe coughed once and let one tear slide down his nose, before wiping it away and looking up at the sky, hoping to see some stars, despite the light from the rest of the city. It was then that faint voices reached his ears. Pulling himself, happily, out of his moody thoughts, The Lobe strained his ears and listened. It sounded like a girl and a boy.

_Aw!_ He thought, partially paranoid, _It must be Freakazoid and his girlfriend Steff!_ He turned his head in the direction of the voices, eyes searching the darkness in the trees for any sign of movement. Finally he spotted two figures, but to his disappointment, one did not have the spiky hair that the Freak had. _Well, at least listening to their conversation will distract me from my own problems for the moment._ He thought then, and settled in his seat a little more comfortably, ear turned towards them to eavesdrop. _Just so long as they don't do anything most teenagers are known to do in parks at night._ He thought, slightly green for a moment.

_.:Get your minds out of the gutter XD:._

"Okay, my turn. Umm, favorite color?" Onyx asked, throwing the empty slushy cup in the nearest trashcan.

"Blue, don't like brown usually. You?" Dexter replied, hands in pockets as they wandered towards the bank of the river.

"Green personally. Hate yellow though for some reason. Reminds me of strange smelling old ladies." Onyx laughed, before jumping down the ledge at the river down to the bank. She picked up a rock and threw it to the river, skipping it three times before it sank. The Lobe, nearby watching, huffed to himself at that.

"Is the river usually this low in D.C?" She called up to Dexter, who slid down the slope a little more slowly.

"Well, normally it would be a lot higher, the snow in the mountains would be melting down into the river system. But we didn't get much snow this year, so there isn't very much to fill the river." He told her, crouching down at the edge of the water. He stuck a finger in for a moment. "Doesn't change the fact it's still cold though. Snowmelt doesn't raise its temperature very fast when it's moving." He muttered.

Onyx was in a mischievous mood for a moment though, and was only half listening, instead focusing on keeping her footsteps on the pebbles quite.

"_**Uh Dex, I think Onyx is going to do something…" **_Freakazoid told him, getting a bad feeling in his gut. Dexter looked up.

"_Huh?"_ he asked, before finding himself face-first in the water. Onyx was sitting on the pebbles now, clutching her side in pain and laughing her head off.

"_**Told you so."**_ Freakazoid was holding up his TV and movies above the little bit of water that had leaked in.

"_A little bit more warning would have been nice though."_ Dexter told him, pulling himself out of the water and over to the pebbles, shivering slightly.

"If you weren't a girl I would shove you into the river too." He said through chattering teeth. It wasn't a cold night, just really cold water. Onyx took a few deep breaths to calm her laughing down before smirking at him.

"Hey, you were right by the water, I couldn't resist." She said, still giggling a little. She reached over and pulled his glasses from him, drying them with the edge of her shirt. "Think of it this way, if you fall in now it won't be as cold." All she got in reply was a snort. She handed back the now-dry glasses to him. She put her hand on his shoulder then, all giggles gone.

"Hey, I'm sorry okay? I only meant to joke, and usually my tricks like that don't work." She told him, giving him a sideways hug. Dexter returned it half-heartedly. Onyx stood up then.

"You know what? Wait here or a moment, I think I can help you warm up and dry out."

"Ya, whatever works." Dexter chattered out, and Onyx went back up the slope. Soon he could hear snapping twigs.

"_**What do you think she's gunna do?"**_ Freakazoid asked him, laying out towels everywhere to dry up the place while the TV sat on a higher shelf.

"_Where did you get those?"_ Dexter said, meaning the towels.

"_**Oh these? They were in the cupboard."**_

"_Cupboard? Okay, whatever, I'll ask later. And no, I have no idea what she's doing."_ Dexter put his chin in his hand, and his elbow on his knee, still shivering slightly. Soon Onyx returned, her arms full of branches.

"Umm, what are you going to do with these? Beat me till I'm warm?" Dexter asked sarcastically, holding one up. Onyx whacked him lightly on the head with a small one.

"Of course not silly. If I was going to do that you would be chained to the wall and I would be using a scourge." Dexter winced, and Onyx started building a small conical shape with the sticks.

"I won't ask where you got your knowledge of torture." He muttered. Onyx then pulled a small cigarette lighter out of her pocket. "Wait, your building a camp fire in the middle of the park?"

"Of course. Like I said, wait, and I'll help you warm up and dry out. Thusly, the small fire. An I learn bits and pieces here and there. One of my friends and I once sat down and figured out together how to kill someone in the most painful and slow way without the use of poisoning or injection of any kind." Sparks flew for a moment, then a small light started working its way up the smaller twigs to the larger ones. Dexter leaned in gratefully towards it.

"_**Being a superhero, I don't think I can condone that mindset…"**_ Freakazoid told him, sitting in front of a heater on the couch.

"_Freak, you gotta remember, we're teenagers. We all do things like that at one point or other."_

"_**Ya, true I guess. But I still don't approve of that."**_

"_Come on Freak, give the girl a chance. You were the one all about dating her right from the start anyways. Besides, as long as no villains are around to hear it and try recruiting, she should be fine."_

"Helloooo, earth to Dexter!" Onyx waved her hand in front of his face, he was spacing out again from her point of view. Dexter gave a start.

"What? Oh, sorry. What did you say?" he asked, pulling off his jacket and laying it on the pebbles near the fire so it could dry faster.

"I had asked you if you wanted to call it quits for tonight. You know, showing me around the city and all, since I pushed you in the river."

"Oh, umm, well, I guess, if you want to. It's not really that cold out, so once I dry out it should be fine. Mike might be on us though."

"The papaya slushy guy?" Onyx added a few more sticks to the fire.

"He sells hot dogs too when it's colder, but no, the other friend I wanted you to meet – Mike Cosgrove. He's an old cop."

"Oh, okay then. I guess heading home at some point would be a good thing anyways, school is tomorrow."

"Ya, school… Umm Onyx? Don't be surprised if I have a black eye tomorrow." Dexter trailed off, warming his hands at the fire. He and Freak had decided to try and break it off with Steph tomorrow. He hoped he wouldn't have to go through part of his classes with a black eye.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say your brother?" she asked, thinking it would be his bigger brother that would be gifting him with the black and blue spot. Dexter chuckled lightly.

"Ya, maybe, maybe not. Remember what happened today in class? I wouldn't be surprised if those oafs were the culprits tomorrow. Just giving you the heads up."

_.:Don't forget about Lobey!:._

The Lobe heard. He heard all of it. _Hmm, that girl has imagination, and knowledge, I kind of like it. She could be useful… a fresh look on things might be just what I need._

The Lobe's bench was slightly out of sight from the two teens, they were slightly farther down the river bank from where he was. He stood up now, stretched, and quietly made his way in the other direction. Once he was sure he was out of hearing distance, he walked a bit faster and ran back to his lair.

His two henchmen had fallen asleep on the table, their cards falling out of their hands onto the table or the floor. Lobe ignored them and went to his own room, where he sat and thought some more.

From what little he had seen, the girl was spunky and prone to random acts. She was a teenager, so he should easily pull her school files from Harry Connick High to figure out where she lived. That or he could just follow her home after school ends tomorrow. The Lobe rubbed his hands together, an evil smile on his face. Fresh eyes and a fresh mind would surly through off Freakazoid. Now all he had to figure out was how to… convince.. her to help him.

_.:*Le Gasp!* Lobey wants Onyx on his side! What will his plans be? Will he manage to convince her? Where is Ruby in all this? Is Weena Mercator REALLY the hopping woman! Find out next issue! In chapter 5!:._

**Author's Notes. You can ignore that last divider, I just really wanted to do one of those funny and dramatic lead-ons for the next chapter.**

**So… notes notes notes… I know! How about you guys point out my grammar or spelling screw ups! Or… nvm, my brain just died =/**

**Okay, so this was 6 pages long on Word, where previous chapters were all either 5 pages or 3 pages. So.. it's not epicly long like I promised up above, but I wrote all this in an (almost) uninterrupted session of about eight hours. That right peoples, it is now 1:36 am for me right now. And… I am tired… and cold… because it has been snowing a lot here recently and my room is in the basement, so it's a tad bit colder than the main house.**

**Okay, so if I missed anything, I'm sorry. If I quoted anything up above, or made references to something and didn't realize it, please realize that I don't own whatever I made a reference to =/ And as I believe I have stated before, I have never been to DC before, so the layout of that area is completely unknown to me. I don't know if their rivers are fed by winter snows in the mountains like they are here in Oregon. Well, goodbye for now peeps! I'll try to not make the wait so long for the next chappie .**


	6. Chapter 6 Painful Partings

**Hello again my lovely and talented readers ^_^ You know, if I had my way, I would have a well-paying job that starts at noon and ended maybe around 7 or 8 or 9, and turning out a good long chapter a day. Well, maybe that's a little unrealistic. We'll say a good long chapter a week. Ya, that's it. But, sadly, I still have no job, and with Christmas coming up and so many people to buy for (my two parents, my boyfriend, my sister, her husband, and her three kids, as well as something for two dogs and three cats and a rabbit.. probably treats or something for them), money is really tight for me . If yall want to help though, you can buy something for me! =D I put both seasons of Freakazoid on my Amazon wish list! I doubt you would do it though =(**

**I keep listening to the same four songs over and over again while typing this up, I want to type what I hear instead of what I need to type . it's my playlist on youtube – Freakazoid intro (good encode), The Lobe and the staff of the Washington Gardens sing a song, That Invisibo, and a Freakazoid amv with the song Dancing Through Life from Wicked, with the Freakazoid and Friends song on the ending. That little list is all I listen to actually when I'm typing up these chapters =/**

**Disclaimer: Umm, no, I don't believe Freakazoid belongs to me. If he did I would put Dexter in more episodes, as well as making Freakazoid's telekinesis used a little more often – i.e. making him practice more. And he would fly. Because in some episodes he can fly, but others he can't. And other things would happen, but then the rating would change drastically, lol. Lady Gaga, or YugiOh Abridged, as well as anything else I referenced, does not belong to me either.**

_.:Stop looking at me! I'm just a divider, dangit! .:._

Dexter put his coat back on once he was dried out – his coat was nice a warm now from laying out beside the fire. He wasn't shivering anymore, but the fire was still nice and warm. Freakazoid was picking up damp towels and replacing them with fresh dry ones, just to be sure. Onyx was seemingly entranced with the fire, just staring into it.

"_**When do I get to come out and meet her personally?" **_Freakazoid asked Dexter then, sitting back on the couch. Dexter shrugged.

"_I don't know. Maybe some time when you're out for something else too?_ He suggested, watched the flickering shadows the fire made.

"_**How about after I d...du...dum..."**_

"_Dump?"_

"_**Yeah, that, after that with Steph tomorrow?"**_ The Freak asked. They had decided they would talk to her at lunch. That way, if she _did_ get violent, Dexter would only go through half the day with an injury of some kind.

"_That… actually sounds like a good idea. Now, you're not going to forget this tomorrow when we actually do it, right? You have a tendency to forget important things sometimes…" _Dex said to him then, watching Onyx. The fire looked strange against her hair color. She had it wrapped around her arm and in her lap, to keep it from trailing on the ground where she sat.

"_**Don't worry about that. I don't think I'm going to forget something like **_**that**_** too easily…"**_ Freak told him, shuddering slightly. Breaking up with Steph was necessary, he knew this. He was just scared of what she might do in retaliation. He had seen some of the drama at school over similar issues, and it was rarely pretty. Dexter silently agreed to that thought. Then he saw something… strange.

"_Umm, Freak, you seeing this?"_ he asked, watching Onyx. She had leaned forward a little and actually stuck her hand into the fire!

"_**What is she thinking! She's going to burn her hand!"**_ Freakazoid was yelling, watching with wide eyes.

"Onyx, what are you doing?" Dexter exclaimed, moving around the fire and pulling her hand out. She looked up at him, as if he startled her out of a nap.

"Huh? What did I do?" she asked, seemingly confused as to why he was holding her arm and had a look of shock on his face.

"What did you do? You stuck your hand into the fire!" he almost shouted at her, rubbing her hands. But then he stopped. Onyx was looking at him strangely.

"Your hand, it isn't burnt…" he said, looking at it.

"Are you alright Dex? You sure it didn't just look like it from where you were sitting?" she asked him. Dexter shook his head.

"No, I'm positive I saw.." he started, but let go of her arm and stood up. "I guess I was just imagining things." He said, apologizing.

"Apparently. We should be heading home though, come on, help me put this out." Onyx said, smiling and standing up as well.

"_**I wasn't imagining it Dex! Her hand was in that fire!" **_Freakazoid exclaimed, trying not to look defeated. Dexter mentally nodded.

"_I know, I saw it too. Just go with it though. Who knows, maybe we both made a mistake." _he replied, picking up another, not lit, branch and flicking the burning ones towards the river. They didn't have a bucket to dump water over it, and he certainly wasn't going to stand in the river and splash it. That would destroy the purpose of making a fire in the first place.

_.:The NEXT MORNING! =D:._

Dexter stretched and sat up in bed, turning his alarm clock off. He really wanted to sleep a little more, but if he didn't get up soon his brother would be in with some painful way of waking him up in mind.

Morning routine went as normal, get dressed, eat breakfast, face-palm at something Freakazoid does, go to school before his brother beats him up. The usual, nothing new to report. Well, except the apprehension of knowing that they had to dump someone today.

"_No use in worrying about it now. We already made the decision, all we have to do is make it to lunch without breaking down."_ Dexter said, walking into his first class. As usual, no one was there yet, except the few teachers going back and forth from different classes with mail and such. Dexter looked around for a moment, before pulling out an envelope and placing it on Steph's desk, then went back to his own. The note inside was simple, just asking to talk to her at lunch, signed with a capital F and an exclamation mark.

Not long after the door opened again, and Onyx came in, early as yesterday. And again, she claimed the desk behind him.

"What the reason today?" he asked her, turning in his seat.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"Well, yesterday you said you were early so you could meet people and learn the school layout. Why you early today?" he explained, as she pulled out her laptop again and turned on some Lady Gaga songs. No, they were spoofs of her songs from the Abridged YuGiOh. Poker Face was changed to Brooklyn Rage, and Bad Romance was turned into Leather Pants.

"Oh. Well, see, Taylor gets up at like, 5 in the morning, and until all of the boxes and stuff are unpacked from the move, I sleep on the couch. So, usually after he gets up and comes in to make breakfast, he finds some obnoxious way to wake me up. Usually I sleep like the dead, but he seems to enjoy finding ways to wake me up. This morning he grabbed my ankle and suddenly pulled me off the couch and held me upside down." She said. "And you saw yourself yesterday how tall he is. And being in the army, holding me upside down by the ankle is like nothing to him at the moment." Dexter nodded at that. He could see Taylor doing that with no problem at all.

The music on her laptop changed again, but was more like the music you would hear at the high school dances. Onyx pulled out some candy canes and handed one to Dexter.

"Umm…"

"I know, it's Christmas candy. Oh well. I'm in a Christmassy mood now after the camp fire last night. I wanted to make s'mores." She told him, sticking her candy cane in her mouth. She put a pile of them on her desk then shuffled through her bag again. About that time the three jocks from the day before came in. They quickly spotted her and came over, daring to sit in the desks around her and Dexter. The one whom she had bent his wrist back yesterday reached over to her desk in an attempt to grabbed a candy cane. About that time Onyx pulled out what she was looking for in her bag, a little squeeze bottle like what you find food coloring in, and opened it, tipping it slightly so the liquid inside it could drip out onto the snatching hand. It hit his skin before he could grab the candy canes, and he snatched his hand back with an exclamation of pain.

"What was that? It burns!" he said, trying to wipe it off. But every bit of his skin that touched it started to burn and sting as well. Finally he wiped it onto his jeans.

"It's pure cinnamon oil." Onyx told him, closing the little bottle and holding it up so he could see. "It burns when you touch it, because it's not diluted in any way. If it were to get into your eyes, you would have less than a minute to wash it all out before you went blind." She explained then, setting it on her desk. "I brought it for cooking class at the end of the day, and was making sure it hadn't spilled in my bag."

"Okay, so I know what it is, but why did you burn me with it?" he asked, his two friends watching her in some-what amazement. She looked at him with a mock look of surprise.

"If you had asked politely for a candy cane, I would have given you one. Now you'll remember for next time." She said, matter of factly. Dexter snickered a little at that. The jock didn't do anything this time though, he had been one-upped by Onyx twice now, he didn't want to try for three.

"What's your name anyways? I don't want to keep thinking of you as some big dumb jock." Onyx said. The jock in question looked almost offended for a moment, before muttering.

"Name's Bryce." He said, looking to the side. Onyx nodded then.

"Bryce then. Do you want a candy cane Bryce?" she asked, as if punishing a younger kid.

"Yes please, ma'am." He replied, watching her and using his manners now. Onyx nodded again and handed him a candy cane. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now what about you two?" she said then, turning to the other two jocks that were with him. "You want candy canes too?"

"Yes please." They answered in unison. She handed candy canes to them.

"And what are your names?"

"Jacob. Thank you."

"Kevin. Thank you."

"That's more like it." She said then, and started to put her laptop away, more people were coming into class and the bell was going to ring soon.

Dexter watched as Steph and her friends came in and sat down, her finding the little note. In his head Freakazoid was biting his nails and watching for her expression. Dexter mentally shook his head – there was no reason for him to worry right now. Steph read the note and glanced his way, nodding slightly before stuffing it in her bag and talking to her friends again. Freak let out a breath he had been holding, and Dexter turned back to watch Onyx talk to the jocks. She seemed to make friends easy, even when she seemingly insulted them first.

When Mrs. Blank came in at after the bell rang, her eyes immediately spotted the pile of candy canes on Onyx's desk.

"Candy canes in the spring? It's not Christmas anymore." She said in her annoying voice. "Did you bring enough for the whole class?" she asked. Onyx nodded.

"If anyone wants a candy cane they need to line up in single file and tell me their name, as well as asking politely for one. No manners, no name, no candy." she stated, in a way of answering Mrs. Blank.

_.:It hasn't stopped snowing today . we got three feet on the ground so far since this morning:._

The next three classes before lunch seemed to tick by so slowly for Dexter. Every five minutes he would look at the clock, thinking that fifteen, or at least ten, minutes had gone by. Freakazoid was getting antsy himself, biting his fingernails down to the quick.

By the time lunch actually _did_ arrive, Dexter had been called on a number of times for spacing out in class. What he really was doing was talking to Freakazoid and trying to calm him down, finally 'calming' him by telling him where the sugar cookies were. Now that the bell for lunch had rang, he hurried past Ruby and Onyx, who said hi to him, but he hardly even heard them, and just kept going.

Ruby and Onyx looked at each other, confused, before trailing him at a distance. After they followed him out the back entrance of the school, they lost sight of him. Time to start searching!

Dexter had actually ran around a corner and turned into Freakazoid now. Time to look for Steph. He found her in no time at all. She was sitting under a tree on the school lawn, near the tennis courts. Steph saw him and waved, smiling, and Freakazoid half-heartedly waved back.

"_Okay Freakazoid, don't wuss out on me now."_ Dexter told him, watching and ringing his hands. Freakazoid nodded and walked over to where Steph was, telling himself over and over it would be okay.

"Hi Freak, what did you want to talk to me about?" Steph asked when he reached her, smiling at him. That in itself almost deflated the poor guy.

"_You can do it Freak."_ Dexter said encouragingly. Freakazoid nodded and, taking a deep breath, blurted it all out at once.

"I'mscaredtodothis butDexsaysIneedto soI'mdumpingyou and pleasedon'thurtme!" Freakazoid said, shutting his eyes and getting ready for the slap. But it didn't come.

"Come again?" Steph said, frowning slightly. "What did you say?" she asked. Freakazoid cringed slightly before slowing his words down.

"I said it's not really working out…" He started, pausing and checking her reaction. She was just looking at him, waiting for him to go on. "I mean, because we aren't really in, well, you aren't, in a healthy relationship… so… I'm sorta… dumping you."

Steph was silent for a moment, and both Freak and Dexter were calming down slightly, because she hadn't hit them yet and she wasn't crying. Perhaps dumping someone wasn't as bad as it always seemed to be.

"You seem to be taking this wel… SMACK!" The force of her sudden slap sent Freakazoid reeling, and to add insult to injury, he was sent face-first right into the tree. Steph screamed at him before running off.

"That wasn't so bad…" Freakazoid said sarcastically, rubbing his face and sitting below the tree now.

"_I'm sorry Freak, I should have done it, not you…"_ Dexter started, but Freakazoid held his hand up.

"_**It's fine, don't worry about it. I actually feel a lot better now, you know?"**_ he told him then. _**"Maybe not physically, but mentally."**_

"_Ya, I understand what you mean now. Big weight off my shoulders. I hope Steph doesn't go do something stupid though."_

"Dexter! Where are you?" They heard two voices calling out. One was Ruby's voice, the other was Onyx's.

"_You said you wanted to meet Onyx personally." _Dex told him. Freakazoid nodded and rubbed his sore face again. He was sure he was going to have a hand-print on his face soon, if it wasn't already there.

"Blue man!" said one voice excitedly. That had to be Ruby. Freakazoid turned his head in the direction of said voices. Onyx and Ruby were standing there.

"Ouch, blue man had a pink handprint on his face. What happened?" Ruby sad, sitting next to him and poking at it.

"Ouch ouch ouch, that's fresh you know!" Freakazoid exclaimed, leaning away. Ruby stopped.

"I sawwy." She said. "What happened?" Onyx looked around, a little frustrated, before sitting down and answering before the Freak could.

"Well, considering it's in the shape of a hand print, on his face, I'd say he just got bitch-slapped." She said, turning his head gently to look at it, talking as if he wasn't even there.

"Well, how can't you tell if he was pimp-slapped instead?" Ruby asked. Onyx raised an eyebrow at the question.

"If he was pimp-slapped, then the fingers would be closed together and the mark would look like a mitten instead of a glove. And where the knuckles should be would be darker, because they are bonier and protrude more when pimp-slapping. No, blue man was obviously bitch-slapped. My guess is some girl got really angry with him just now." She explained, pointing at parts of the mark and prodding where the knuckles should be on the print. Freakazoid twitched and winced.

"You know, I do have ears, you don't have to talk about me like I'm not here." He said, pushing her hand away from his cheek. "And could refrain a little bit with your language?" he asked, looking at Onyx. She shot a look back at him.

"Excuse me, this is a high school. What little I am saying is nothing compared to the majority of the students here. I'm talking like you aren't here because until now you have said hardly anything at all." She told him, a mock glare on her face. "Now, being new here, I could be wrong, but judging by what a friend of mine has said, you're Freakazoid, correct?" she asked, softening a little. Freak nodded, grinning like an idiot who did NOT just get slapped.

"Ya, that's me. Washington D.C.'s very own superhero." He said animatedly. Ruby nodded.

"He's saved so many people already! I think Steph is his girlfriend. She's so lucky." Ruby told Onyx, who was sitting and listening with only one ear, still looking around. Freakazoid physically drooped though.

"Not anymore…" he said.

"Why not?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Steph and I, we aren't dating. We just broke up actually, that's the reason I have 'new makeup'." Freak told them then, pulling up single strands of grass. "She sees me more as a trophy than a boyfriend, and is always in danger because she's close to me.."

"So that gets rid of two problems then." Onyx said, no sympathy in her voice. "Sorry for lack of feeling, but I have no tolerance for some types of relationships. If she only saw you as a trophy because you're a superhero, then she doesn't deserve you. Kind of like the guys that marry rich women for their money, or vice versa. And also, she'll be safer this way too, so long as she doesn't do anything stupid to try and get your attention again." She said. "Knowing girls, as I am one, then she will try to get your attention again. You'll probably have to save her a few more times, yet brush her off at the same time, if you want the message to sink in that you guys are through."

Freakazoid and Dexter noticed the irony, that they had thought exactly the same thing earlier when they were planning how to go about the break up.

"Besides, I'm probably better finding a girlfriend that can defend herself instead of stand around and scream." Freakazoid said. "Being a superhero is great and all, but all of the blind adoration from random people bothers me. And then as soon as you do something wrong, they forget all the good things you did, and I have to go in hiding for a while until they stop booing and come crying for help."

About then, the bell to head to next class rang, and Ruby and Onyx jumped up in shock.

"We didn't even find Dexter yet! We gotta go Freakazoid, otherwise we'll be late!" they yelled, running back to the school. Freakazoid had jumped up too, Dexter needed to go to class. He grinned and waved at them until they disappeared around the corner of the school.

"FREAK IN!" he shouted, turning back into Dexter, who immediately started running towards the school too.

"_I'm going to be so late!"_ he thought, running as fast as he could and trying not to hit anyone. _"So what did you think of Onyx?"_ he asked. _"I know she scolded you and all, but overall impression?"_

"_**She doesn't take poo from no one."**_ Freakazoid replied, looking in a mirror at his red face. Dexter laughed.

"_Ya, she can look out for herself, can't she? Haha."_

_.:MRS. AGNES HACK $25… EDGAR DE PUS $150… MRS. GUY FUSTLER $45… VIC BURMA $100… YAKKO WARNER $1…:._

When school ended, The Lobe was across the street, waiting and watching for the girl with the long red hair to come out. When she did, she was talking to the boy that was with her last night, and another girl. The other girl waved goodbye though and went the opposite direction of the other two. The red-haired girl and the boy then stood outside a white suburban for a moment, before both getting in. The boy had a black eye, he noticed. Steph had seen Dexter later that day and punched him in the face, but the Lobe didn't know that. The vehicle got moving, and Lobey got on a random bike and started peddling, keeping up with them, but at a distance so he wouldn't be noticed.

By time they reached one house, he was huffing and puffing from trying to keep up with this crazy driver.

"I.. definitely need… to work on my cardio." He wheezed out, resting his overly-large head on the handlebars of his bike. Just when he looked at the house, he noticed the girl hadn't gotten out, only the boy, but he came back and got in again. The Lobe let out a sigh of exasperation and forced his legs to start peddling again, trying to keep up with the crazy-driving pixy-haired woman at the wheel.

Just as he thought his legs were going to fall off, the vehicle pulled into the driveway of a white house and they all got out, going into the house. When they didn't come out again, the Lobe smiled to himself. He looked around and memorized the address, before peddling off again, a psychotic smile on his face as he thought about how to 'convince' this girl to join him.

That boy looked like he might be her boyfriend. Perhaps kidnapping him would be the motivation she needed. The Lobe laughed evilly as he coasted the bike, before swerving to avoid getting hit by a blue and black motorcycle.

"You mad woman!" he yelled at the driver of the bike, before riding his own little peddler to his lair and getting ready for the plan that was forming in his head.

_.:I feel sorry for the kid who's bike Lobey stole =(:._

**Natha's Notes: Well, there is an extra long chapter for you guys! =D Are you happy with me now? Two chapters added in less than a week! =D *dances around* Okay, lets see what I can find in my story here to criticize.**

**So… He finally did it. He dumped Steph. Did I do okay writing that? Or did I screw up? I'm not all that great at emotional things like that in real life either, so it would make sense if I failed at writing it. I personally love the conversation about whether he was bitch-slapped or pimp-slapped though XD**

**And… was Dexter and Freakazoid imagining things? Or did Onyx really stick her hand in the fire? If she did, did they catch it fast enough that she didn't burn? You tell me! =D**

**Ooh, look at Onyx handle the 'big dumb jocks', lol. She gave candy canes to everyone ^_^ lol. This took me two days to type up, and I've been in a Christmas mood because we've been decorating the house for Christmas. So, even though the story is set in spring, I had to put something Christmassy in there, hence the candy canes.**

**And poor Lobey, he works so much on his brain muscles that he forgets physical exercise is good too – Clera drives fast and jerky sometimes, so it would be difficult to keep up with her on a peddle bike, lol.**

**Entity! I put another easter egg in here for you! Lol.**


	7. Chapter 7 Drunken Duncan

**Hi peeps ^_^ Let's see what becomes of this chapter, shall we? I have a few slight ideas about what's up with Onyx, as well as getting rid of the Freakazette idea. Sorry, but I don't feel like turning Onyx into Freakazette, even though that was my idea when I created her in chapter one. I also have some ideas for Lobey, as well hopefully bringing in Roddy MacStew in soon. I also hope to bring in the Huntsman at some point of the story. That would be interesting.**

**So… right now I am eating popcorn =/**

**Entity – Yes, why not? Let's make that a common occurrence, lol. Not too common though, otherwise it'll sound like your character is stalking them, haha.**

**Nekojoshi – Yay, a new reviewer! It's okay, I won't laugh at you – you would be surprised at some of the things I dream up. And about your Freakazoid craving – it ain't going to go away anytime soon, lol. I listen to the music, write here, read other stories, even watch the episodes all the time and look up fan art, and I haven't fixed my craving yet. Especially because Freakazoid had so much potential that they tapped but never went too deep into (i.e. The Chip, Gutierrez, Roddy MacStew).**

**Disclaimer: The only thing that belongs to me is Onyx. Everything else is someone else's – even the blue and black motorcycle that keeps popping up. That belongs to Entity of Darkness and her character that is in her Freakazoid story. I suggest ya'll read it and give her some encouragement. It's called Freaky Mad Darkness.**

_.:I just finished my popcorn:._

Onyx and Dexter were sitting at the coffee table at her house, laptop playing Yeah by Usher, and paper and math books spread across the table.

"Okay, so I divide this number by the answer I get from this problem over here?" Onyx asked, staring at the notebook in front of her, holding a pencil and calculator. Dexter shook his head.

"No, you multiple those, and _then_ divide that answer by the square root of the other number the problem gives you, see?" he asked, pointing at some numbers. Onyx looked from one number tp the other, and back again, before letting her head fall onto the notebook and almost smashing Dexter's finger.

"No, I don't see. I fail miserably at math." She simple stated. Dexter laughed. It was amazing how much they shared in common, then it comes to something like this and they were complete opposites.

Onyx was under the firm belief that math hated her, because she herself hated it with a deep passion. It was a miracle that she made it to Geometry by her senior year. In middle school she had general math and pre algebra. Her freshman year in high school, she failed algebra 1 half way through the year and had to go back to pre algebra for the second semester. Sophomore year, she made it through algebra 1 the first semester, but failed it the second semester. So that meant she had to take it a third time her junior year. She finally passed it then. Now in her senior year, she made it to geometry. It was what she was aiming for, out of all the areas they covered in her math classes, she was best at geometry, and this year it was a little easier. But that just meant she only had to do the same problem three times to get it right, instead of six or seven. All in all, she sucked at math.

And then you have mister straight A's next to her, who made general math and pre algebra in middle school, aced algebra 1 his freshman year, aced geometry his sophomore year, aced algebra 2 junior year, and was now pulling A's in pre-calculus. He had helped others with math though, so he knew when it was time to quit.

"Why don't we take a break from the math for a while? If we don't, you're not going to get this at all tonight." He suggested, taking the notebook from her. Her head popped up from the table then.

"Awesome. My sister is no help because she didn't even make it this far in math when she was in school, and Taylor is more for history than math." She said, putting the books completely away. Dexter raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He had suggested taking a break, not forgetting it entirely. Onyx zipped up her bag and set it back on the ground, before leaning back into the couch with a sigh.

"So where did you go today at lunch?" she asked then, making Dexter stop. "Ruby and I said hi to you, but you just kept going, and then we couldn't find you after going outside." Dexter and Freakazoid both gulped, mind racing to find an answer. He didn't want to lie, but he couldn't necessarily tell the truth either. Well, he could partially tell the truth.

"I… had some important things to do. I was late to my next class because of it. Nothing to worry about though." He told her. Onyx raised her eyebrow this time, but didn't ask for details.

"And what about your black eye, how come Steph punched you?" she asked then. Dexter relaxed a little with that question.

"I guess I said something wrong, honestly. All I did was say hi and then ask if she was okay, because she didn't really look all that happy. Next thing I know, her fist is best friends with my eye for a few seconds." He explained, crossing his legs on the couch and facing her. "Word spreads fast though, I soon found out why it was a bad idea to ask her that. Apparently she and Freakazoid broke up."

"Yeah, Ruby and I met him while we were looking for you." Onyx sat up. Dexter straightened a little bit.

"What did you think of him?" he asked, interested now. Onyx shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't really know. He's not as random as I've heard, from what little we did talk to him. I felt sorry for him, that he was in that relationship at all, and thought he did a good thing, breaking it off with Steph. He told Ruby and I that she only saw him as a trophy. He also had a nasty mark on his face as well – Steph bitch-slapped him apparently when he dumped her. All in all, I thought he was okay. I'd have to talk to him some more though to get a better read on him. Soon after Ruby and I started to talk to him, the bell rang and we had to get back to class." She said, almost apologetically. Dexter nodded, understanding. "Maybe if I had a better chance to talk to him, sometime other than school lunch that is, then I could get a better idea." She finished. Dexter didn't say anything, sitting there thinking.

_.:I am so tired today -_-:._

After dinner (shrimp stir fry and penne), Dexter and Onyx said bye to her sister and brother-in-law, and went out for more exploring. They had decided to head towards the park again, because they hadn't really explored very much after Onyx knocked Dexter into the river.

One of the houses they passed on the way was really noisy and had a lot of lights on and people inside. They presumed it was a party of some kind, and where about to pass on.

"_**Hey Dexter, didn't Duncan have a party to go to tonight?"**_ Freakazoid asked him then, taking over Dexter's motions and walking him up to peak in the window. Onyx looked at him oddly, but followed after a moment.

"_Hey, I thought I told you not to do that!" _Dexter told him, his eyes scanning the crowd for Duncan. It didn't take long to find him with three sets of eyes looking. Onyx found him first.

"Isn't that your brother, Dex?" she asked, pointing at the couch. Dexter nodded, watching him. He appeared to be… drunk. And he spotted them out the window right as they turned around to leave, having seen them. Getting up from the couch, he excused himself from the party, bring a beer can with him, and left the house, following his brother and the strange girl at a distance.

Not realizing they had a follower, Dexter and Onyx made it to the park without incident. They found the spot where they had set up last night's fire, due mostly to the blackened pebbles, and then found a bench nearby. Duncan could vaguely hear them talking about accents, so he crept closer and hid behind a bush that was right behind the bench.

"You should meet a friend of mine, I think you would like him. He has a pretty noticeable Scottish accent." Dexter was saying, leaning back in the bench. After taking another gulp of his beer, Duncan was getting an idea of how to say hello to his little brother.

"I think most accents are pretty cool to listen to. Except Spanish accents for some reason, I don't really like those. Mostly English, Scottish, German, and Russian are my favorites." The girl with the long hair said. Duncan wondered about her for a moment, if she was the reason Dexter was out so late last night. He noted how pretty the girl was, his thoughts influenced by his drink. Making his decision, Duncan got up carefully (as carefully as could be managed while drunk) and snuck up behind the two. Holding his beer in one hand and raising the other in a fist, he swung down.

Onyx noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye, and jerked out of the way with a squeal when the fist made contact with Dexter, sending him off the bench and sprawling on the ground. Dexter moaned and tried to sit up, his hand on the side of his head.

"Onyx, could you catch the license plate of the bus that just hit me?" he asked, picking himself up off the ground and wincing when he moved wrong. Duncan was laughing his head off.

"Funny…" said Onyx, glaring at the drunken boy. "The license plate spells out your brother's name." She went over and helped Dexter up, before turning and glaring at the older boy.

"And just _what_ is accomplished with that?" she asked him, crossing her arms. Duncan tried to quell his laughter for a moment to answer her.

"Just, haha, just saying, haha, hello, to my little brother." He wheezed out, clutching the bench with his free hand to stop himself from falling over. Dexter shook his head.

"That's _always_ the way he says hello to me, or bye, or anything else he needs to say – he hits me."

Onyx frowned, before smiling a little psychotically with an idea then. She glanced at Dexter and winked. Dexter and Freak were a little surprised at the smile – it looked a lot like the one Freakazoid himself had.

"I think I know how to get rid of this little problem." She muttered, before walking over to Duncan. She could tell just by the smell of him that he was drunk, and was sure his thoughts were completely at the mercy of whoever wanted to mess with him. She turned back to Dexter for a moment and gave a reassuring nod, before adopting a sickeningly sweet look on her face, the kind that made some people want to puke rainbows. And she angled this look at Duncan.

"There there, that was very brave of you to hit your brother from behind, that takes a lot of guts." She told him in a sweet voice, knowing he would not catch on until it was too late. Dexter, who again, because of Freakazoid, was connected to the internet, had a vague idea of what Onyx was about to do, and was trying to hard not to start laughing. The Freak himself was no help, he was rolling around laughing and clutching his side, crying at the same time.

Duncan was a little surprised, and then quickly melted at the attention this pretty girl was giving him. "Aw it was nothing, he was always such a wimp." He told the girl, leaning towards her. Onyx leaned back a little, but managed to keep a straight face.

"So I suppose saving me from the likes of such a wimp deserves a reward?" she asked him, walking around and trailing her fingers across his shoulders. Duncan followed her every move, muddled by the alcohol in his system.

"I'm sure it's nothing a little kiss wouldn't fix." He replied, still leaning towards her with a dumb grin on his face. Onyx still leaned away, before stepping back just out of reach.

"Oh, if you follow me, I'm sure that the reward is worth much more than just a kiss." She told him, stepping back slowly. She looked straight into his eyes and held her hand out, he was putty to her now. He grabbed her hand and followed her out of sight into the woods.

Dexter, left at the bench, wasn't sure whether to burst out laughing or puke from watching the little exchange. Onyx wasn't gone long, Dexter heard rustling and saw her coming back, carrying a bundle under her arms.

"Is that.. what did you do?" Dexter asked, a grin creeping onto his face. Onyx started giggling before she answered, holding up the bundle.

"This, Dexter, is all of the clothes your brother was wearing. He is laying in a few bushes in that direction, drunk, completely naked, and thinking he's going to get laid soon." She said, trying to hold back a giggle fit.

Dexter stared at her for a moment, wondering whether he should laugh or worry about his brother. Freakazoid though, was probably going to need to go to the hospital – he was sure he cracked a rib from laughing so hard. Eventually though, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he joined in the laughter.

Soon as they calmed themselves down, Onyx deposited the clothes on the bench and pulled Dexter up to his feet.

"Come on, I don't want to be around when he realizes he's been had." She said, still giggling a little. Dexter nodded, leading the way out of the park. He didn't want to be around when that happened either.

"Let's go to the school, I have an idea of how to help you figure out where some things are." He told her, heading in that direction.

_.: I have most of my Christmas shopping done! =D:._

The Lobe watched everything happen, a smile on his face. Most of the teenagers around this city were so honest and nice, it was refreshing to him to see the red-haired girl play such a cruel trick on that big boy. Perhaps it won't be so difficult to recruit the girl to his cause. He didn't want to take any chances though – The Lobe still planned to use the boy with her as motivation. And the school was the perfect place for his little plan.

The plan in question wasn't that complicated, rather simple actually. As soon as they reached the school, his two henchmen would grab the boy and take him to the roof. He would then threaten the boy's life and, if all went well, he would have a new recruit by midnight.

_.:Anyone here play D&D?:._

Dexter and Onyx walked leisurely towards the school in comfortable silence. Well, on the outside it was silence. Dexter's head was not so quiet.

"_**Go on, grab her hand! What's the worst that could happen?"**_ Freakazoid and Dexter were having a slight argument.

"_The worst that could happen? Gee, I don't know, how about the typical answer all nerds get? 'Gee, you're a nice person, why ruin a friendship?' Remember those words?"_ Dexter replied, thinking back on a few other instances in which that was said. Freakazoid shrugged.

"_**It won't be any more of a let-down than it was before. Besides, you literally have nothing to lose! So GO for it!"**_ The Freak shouted at him, grinning like a psycho and took over Dexter's movements again. As such, Dexter reached out and grabbed Onyx's hand.

In all honesty, Onyx had not expected Dexter to do that. He didn't seem like the type of person to take the initiative. Still, Onyx wasn't the type either to pull away when it wasn't threatening. Well, he was her friend, you could pretty much consider tonight and last night dates, he wasn't doing anything perverted to her… She turned her head away, blushing, but didn't let go. Onyx may seem like a strong person, but when it came to something like this she was never the first to move.

Dexter was waiting to get slapped or pulled away from, but it didn't happen.

"_**There, see? What did I tell you?"**_ Freakazoid told him, grinning and easing out of the puppet control. Dexter was holding her hand on his own volition now.

"_Oh shush."_ Dexter replied, blushing slightly and looking away as well. When he chanced a glance at Onyx, she looked a little unsure as well. She chose that moment to look at him from the corner of her eye, and Dexter saw and smiled reassuringly at her. Onyx blushed a little more and looked away. Dexter decided he kind of liked this shy side she was showing right now, and relaxed a little on the glare he was projecting to Freakazoid.

_.:D'aww, they are so cute!:._

**Natha's notes - And I shall stop this chapter here. It seems like a good place to stop, at 6 pages in Word. Hmm, I wonder whether Duncan will remember any of that in the morning XD If he does, Dexter is going to be in a world of pain, poor guy. Lol. Yes, I laugh at peoples pain, muahaha! =D**

**So… I'm cold, and tired . I should go to bed now. This will be posted in the morning. I need sleep.**

**And Entity – don't get discouraged! =D Chin up! I'll send Cosgrove after Charlotte and her motorcycle for speeding if you are not out of that funk by your next chapter! :D lol. But seriously, don't let people like that get to you. It just means they obviously should not be giving the right to read if they only insult others. I'd pound that guy on the head for you, but alas, I don't know where they live =/ Chin up! Write a lot, get loads better, make a bunch of money, and prove them wrong! ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8 Snow Day!

**And I return once again! =D So, because it's the Christmas season, I'm going to put in snow. I don't care if it's in the middle of spring in Washington D.C. in this story, there is GOING to be snow. It has literally snowed on the fourth of July here, and I'm only in Oregon, so it shouldn't be such a feat to have snow in the spring in D.C. Read Authors notice at the bottom for another contest. ^_^ Oh, hey, I'm going to make this chapter SUPER long! =D You'll see why when you check out the contest, lol.**

**Entity – Don't worry, Cosgrove would probably let her off with a warning first, and the words "Hey! Cut it out." Lol.**

**Nekojoshi – It was cute, wasn't it? ^_^ Don't worry, we'll get to the Lobe's plan in this chapter… hopefully.**

**Special Sam – YAY! You came back! =D I was getting worried there for a moment. Oh, Freakazoid wants to bake you cookies now for having given him one. He's in the kitchen with a pink frilly apron on and flour everywhere at the moment, haha!**

**Spiderwritters – Yay a new reviewer ^_^ Thank you =D Ya, our games are sometimes cancelled too. One time we went two months without being able to play because we all had different things to do =/**

**Disclaimer – *wakes up screaming* AAHHH! Oh, wait, it wasn't a dream, it was real, I still don't own Freakazoid. Wait… what? AAHHH! I don't own anything else referenced in here either =(**

_.:Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens:._

The rest of the walk to the school was silent. Even the Freak had decided to calm down a little. Dexter could feel a bad bruise forming where Duncan had hit him, but it wasn't bothering him yet. Just another bruise to add to the store, along with his black eye. That one was fading though.

Actually, that was something Dexter had noticed recently: any bruises or cuts he was getting the past week or so were healing a lot faster than normal. And he didn't think it had anything to do with becoming an adult. He and Freakazoid had discussed this, and decided that maybe it was a perk with being a superhero, perhaps as self-preservation when not in Freak-form.

They rounded a corner, still holding hands (everyone together now: awww!), and the school was in sight just down the street.

"So what's this idea you have for showing me where things are?" Onyx asked as they walked down the street.

"Well," Dexter started, thinking for a moment, "You can kind of consider the school as a central point for this area for what you need. I'll show you what I mean when we get there. We can go up on the roof."

Onyx thought for a moment about that, swinging their hands back and forth idly. "I think I understand what you mean. Like standing in the middle of star and pointing to each of the points, those points being places, right?" she asked, looking up at the stars in question instead of where she was going. Consequently, she ended up tripping on the curb that they had to step over.

Now, when you are holding someone's hand and you trip, a number of things can happen. One, the person holding your hand can catch you before you get too far and it turns more into a stumble than a trip. This is not what happened with Onyx and Dexter. Two, when you trip, you could end up pulling the other person down with you, effectively creating a pile on the ground, sometimes with the people in odd and questionably positions. Sadly, this did not happen either. What did happen was somewhere in the middle of these two. Onyx tripped, began to fall, and Dexter tried to catch her before she hit the ground. Her knees hit the ground, while her upper body was held up in the air. Kind of like when a child tries to pick up a puppy around the middle, the back feet of the dog are still on the ground but the upper half is hanging awkwardly in the air and the front feet can't quite touch the ground. You could also liken it to a string puppet that's hanging forward with its arms and head down and the legs bent.

Onyx blinked and looked at the ground, her knees skinned just slightly, arms hanging forward, and Dexter's arms around her torso in an attempt to stop her from falling. "Oops." She said then, looking up at him and smiling. She made it sound almost like it was a joke that backfired. She reached up to his shoulders then to steady herself before getting her feet under her correctly to stand, and Dexter let go.

"Have a nice trip?" Dexter asked, chuckling at her. He ducked the half-hearted swat the Onyx swung his way.

"It was lovely, can't wait for my next one." Onyx replied, giggling a little and dusting off her knees. "Maybe not anytime soon though."

"Why not?" They started around the school now, the trip having happened in front of it. There was an escape ladder in the back they could use to reach the roof.

"My hobbies look down on trips." She replied, grinning now. "Taking trips could be fatal."

"I'm sure." They had reached the fire escape now, and Dexter was climbing on top of a dumpster to reach the first level of the fire escape, since the first ladder was up. Onyx watched him for a moment, before looking around, then smiled and walked over to something other than the dumpster.

_.:Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens:._

The Lobe watched the two teens make their way up to the roof of the school, with some slight amusement. While the boy was walking up the fire escape, the girl was climbing something else, with great speed. She kept alternating between the window sills and the gutter pipe to scale the building, reaching the top long before the boy did. The Lobe was liking this girl more and more.

Once both of the teens were up on the roof, Lobe signaled to his two men to make their way up to the roof quietly. There was no way of escape, except down the fire escape, or to jump off, he reasoned. So maybe being quiet wasn't necessary.

_.:Brown paper packages tied up with string:._

Onyx sat on the edge of the building, grinning down at Dexter as he made his way up the last few steps of the fire escape.

"_**She's fast."**_ Freakazoid muttered, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. The handprint from Steph's slap was no longer there, having healed within half an hour of contact.

"_She did say that she free-runs. Climbing buildings goes along with that, I imagine."_ Dex replied, reaching the top.

"Plan on doing that often?" He asked her, walking to the other side of the roof, Onyx following.

"Not unless it's required." She replied, smiling and skipping over to him. "I do get around faster though, I'm sure you've noticed."

"Oh, I'm sure we've all noticed that, deary." A new voice said. "Too bad you won't be able to use it right now."

Dexter and Onyx spun around where they stood to come face to… brain? With two men and a… thing. Onyx felt the urge to gag. Standing in front of them was The Lobe. Onyx had never seen him before now, only the description that Dexter had given her.

What she could see, it was obvious this thing had no skull. Which also led to the idea that he had no spine, with how thin his neck was. His head was a huge throbbing pink brain, you could see the veins pulsating under the skin. His eyes, nose, and mouth stuck out oddly from the brain, his neck looked like the stem of the brain itself, and his teeth were more like that of a sharks than a human, all pointy and jagged instead of squared off. All in all, this guy was uglier than fat chicks in electric purple spandex.

The Lobe snapped his fingers, and the men on either side of him moved forward, one grabbing Dexter and holding a knife to his throat while the other grabbed Onyx. He didn't keep much of a hold on her for long though, she brought her leg up and then slammed her heel down on the top off his foot, at the same time as swinging her arm down between his legs and her head back into his nose. That ultimately made him let go out of pure pain. She was about to turn on the guy holding Dexter when the Lobe shouted.

"Stop! Take one more move missy and your boyfriend's blood will spill down the walls of this school." The Lobe said, and Onyx stopped immediately.

"Now, that's better. Let's have a little chat, shall we? I suppose you know who I am, everyone knows who I am, I'm a villain, of course, but you… now, there's a secret. What is your name my dear?" He asked, stepping towards her. The man she had hit was back up and now held her arms behind her so she could only move her feet. He kept his own a good distance away.

"Why should my name matter to you? If you're going to kill us then why bother with formalities?" Onyx asked him, glaring.

"Ouch…" Her eyes darted to Dexter. There was a thin dribble of blood going down his neck.

"My name is Onyx." She said, looking down. The knife on Dexter loosened up. The Lobe clapped his hands together excitedly.

"Onyx, excellent, I like it. It's a lovely name, nice and dark, perfect for a new recruit."

"A what?" her head snapped back up to look at him.

"Hmm? Oh, a new recruit. I've been watching you last night and tonight, and I must say it's so very refreshing to see someone other than major villains doing bad deeds. I commend you, I really do."

"Bad deeds? What did I do that was bad? The only thing even close to being considered bad was playing that prank on Duncan a few minutes ago." she asked incredulously.

"Ah, well, you see my lady, most everyone in this city is so frightfully honest and nice, we villains try to pick up what we can of newer blood, you can probably call it, like taking on an apprentice. We see skills that could be used and we try to nurture them. And I have chosen you, my dear. You have already showed a quick mind and obvious mischievousness, as well as a few physical fighting skills I see. And I need someone to give me a fresh look on things, a new approach at taking over the world and defeating Freakazoid."

By now the Lobe was walking back and forth and using big hand gestures, basically ignoring them, and Dexter was trying to ignore the sting on his neck while franticly trying to come up with a way to turn into Freakazoid without blowing his cover and telling everyone present who he really was. The idea that Freak gave him made his face visibly pale though.

"_May I remind you that you heal a lot faster than I do."_ He said to the Freak. _"Even if I did agree to this, I would still end up with a bloody gash across my neck!"_

"_**But you get to be the hero!"**_ Freakazoid told him, trying to puppeteer Dexter's actions. But Dexter was resisting, quite well too.

"_I said no! We can get out of this a different way that doesn't include me bleeding to death out my throat! That knife is still there, you know!"_

"_**Okay fine, mister grumpy pants, sheesh, at least let my control your voice? Maybe I can say something that would let us out."**_

"_Since when has your talking ever gotten us out of a pinch before?"_

"_**It got us out very nicely when Lobe tried to take over the world by turning people into zombie clowns!"**_

"_Okay, so that's one point for you. But my answer is still no!"_

Meanwhile, Onyx was talking to the Lobe.

"So you're saying that you want me to help you figure out how you're screwing up every time Freakazoid foils one of your big intricate plans?"

"Pretty much yes."

"Well, then it's simple." She replied, shrugging her shoulders as much as she was allowed. The man behind her was still holding her a little tightly.

"You can't tell me you've figured it out already." The Lobe said then, looking at her with his mouth a thin line and his hands on his hips.

"Of course I can. You actually said it yourself – 'big intricate plan'."

By this time Dexter had turned back to the conversation at hand, listening. The Lobe looked at her, still apparently confused. She sighed and turned to look at Dexter.

"Dex – 'big intricate plan' – why does he keep failing?" she asked. Dexter answered before he could stop himself.

"The larger and more intricate an object is, the more pieces that need to fall into place, then the more chances of it failing at one or more points. The more pieces that need to move, the more likely it will fail." He said, before cursing himself for answering at all. The Lobe listened, nodding his head.

"Yes, the thought had passed my mind…" he muttered, then clapped his hands. The man holding Onyx let go of her, and the man holding Dexter got rid of the knife, but kept a firm hold on him.

"Come, we shall discus this more thoroughly in my hideout." The Lobe said then, making his way to the stairs. The two men prodded Onyx and Dexter forward. The Lobe turned to them again and pointed at Onyx.

"You girl, Onyx, you are my new apprentice. I'll be expecting utmost loyalty, secrecy, underhanded deeds and attendance." He told her, and was about to turn away when Onyx spoke up.

"Um, Mr. Lobe, sir, I don't mean to be rude, but Dexter and I have school tomorrow, and we kinda need our sleep so we can function properly…" she started, but was cut off by the Lobe waving his hand.

"I understand, learning is very important, though I despise the schools standards these past few years. No, no need to explain, I understand completely. I expect you back at this spot tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp though." He added quickly. He waved his hand and the other man let go of Dexter, before they left down the stairs.

Onyx and Dex watched them go, before looking at each other.

"What the hell was that about?" Onyx asked, slightly confused at the little encounter. Dexter shook his head.

"I have no idea. But apparently he wants you to show up here tomorrow at eight." He said, backing away from the edge. He went over to the center of the roof and sat down. No one would know you were there unless they were in airplane. Onyx followed and laid one hand on his cheek. That startled him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her. Onyx shushed him and turned his head gently up and to the side.

"I'm checking this cut on your neck." She said, using her free hand to pull out a little key-chain light from the keys in her pocket.

"I'll be fine, it's really shallow." He said, trying to push her hands away. What he was really thinking was _"Keep hormones in check, not even Steff got this close to me when I wasn't Freakazoid."_

"Dexter, the guy was holding a knife to your throat. I don't care if it was made of rubber, I want to see this cut." The girl replied, then licked her finger and wiped the blood off of his neck with it. Dexter stopped trying to push her away and dropped his hands in defeat.

"It doesn't look too bad, should heal up pretty easy… that's odd." Onyx started, watching the cut.

"Umm, Dex, are you aware of how fast you heal?" She asked, and Dexter's eyes went wide for a moment.

"_Shit, crap crap crap forgot about that…" _He was thinking, frantic. Freakazoid offered a solution though.

"_**Just play along, it'll be fine!"**_ He suggested, rocking back and forth and trying not to take over Dexter's actions. Dexter nodded, mostly to Freakazoid, but Onyx took it as a yes for her question.

"No, really Dex, are you TRULY aware? That cut closed up in front of my eyes." She said, letting go of his face so he could look at her. Dex thought fast for a reply, though this itself was new to him. His healing sped up considerably.

"Really? That's… different." He said, looking confused. If Onyx didn't buy it, she wasn't showing it.

"I'm glad your alright at least." She said, laying down beside him and looking up at the sky. "You can't see many stars in D.C. can you?" she asked, frowning at the sky. There were too many lights throughout the city lighting up the sky. Dexter nodded.

"I've rarely seen very many stars in the city, except for when they're really bright." He said, leaning back on his arms to look up. "Looks more like a bunch of clouds right now though, pretty dark ones too." He muttered, then blinked as something white fell onto his nose. "Huh?"

Onyx sat up and laughed. "It's snowing!" she exclaimed, as many more white flakes began falling around them. "And they're the big fluffy ones too!"

"But it's only spring…" Dexter started, standing up. Onyx was twirling around the roof in the snowflakes. "This stuff just finished melting away a few months ago."

"Oh, don't ruin the fun. I've seen it snow on the fourth of July." She stated, stopping and looking at him. There was a thin sprinkling of white on the roof already, and everything else that wasn't moving or under shelter. Onyx started twirling again, her feet making spiraling patterns in the snow. Her red hair now had little white fluffy spots all over in it. Dexter smiled to himself, putting his hands in his pockets and watching her. Some of the snowflakes in her hair were melting and sliding down the strands, making her hair look darker in places.

After a while (and many more snowflakes later), Onyx stopped twirling and made her way over to him, wobbling slightly.

"Dizzy…" she said, giggling slightly. Dexter chuckled a little and put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. He looked her over for a second, before chuckling some more.

"What's so funny?" Onyx asked, trying to make the world stop moving.

"You are. You have snowflakes all over your hair, your clothes, and even in your eyelashes." He said, then shivered slightly. "It's getting cold out here."

"Well duh, it has to be at least freezing outside to snow. Now, weren't you going to show me how to figure out where places were from up here?" she asked, finally getting her bearings and walking over to the edge of the building again. The snow hadn't stopped, so her footprints were a little deeper now, her original prints beginning to cover up.

"Oh yeah. Well, from here, your house is in that direction, and my house is a little more in that direction. It kind of makes a triangle, see? Then Mike's Papaya Stand is over there in that seemingly vacant area…"

_.:Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels:._

By time they came down from the roof (Onyx opted to take the stairs this time), there was a good few inches of snow packing on the ground. It wasn't long before they started up a snowball fight with each other as they went down the street, slipping and sliding along the way. True, they were cold, but the movement kept them warm for the most part. Hands where still cold though, and Dexter's legs, since he was wearing shorts (and he had somehow managed to get snow in his socks). Finally they became cold and soaked enough that they slowed down to a huddled walk. They were almost to Onyx's house now.

"Oh I can see it now…" Dexter muttered grimly, looking at the snow. Onyx raised an eyebrow. "If Duncan remembers anything that happened tonight I'm probably going to become his favorite punching bag again tomorrow. Maybe a few whitewashes mixed in there if this stuff doesn't melt soon."

Onyx just sighed to herself before looking at the ground in front of her.

"I don't get it, why don't you just fight back?" she asked, shaking her head. "I mean, after you start fighting back, and show some aggression, he'll get the idea eventually and just leave you alone, right?"

Dexter shook his head. "No, doesn't work that way in my house. Mom and Dad actually encourage us to rough house, the only time they intervene is when Duncan tries it in the car or if it's obvious that I can't breathe." He reached down and grabbed Onyx's hand again. "Even then it's just Dad telling Duncan to stop, they don't actually do anything. And when I fight back all it does is encourage him. The last time I did fight back, we ended up breaking a sarcophagus at the Museum of Antiquity."

Onyx squeezed his hand encouragingly. "I'm sorry. And sorry I probably just made things a little worse with that prank I pulled." She said then, looking down.

"Naw it's okay, Duncan kind of deserved that in my opinion. Besides, if I can get out of the house quick enough in the morning, I can be gone from his reach when he wakes up in the morning with a hangover. Then by mid-day he should have either forgotten about it, or not. I'm kind of used to it by now." He explained as they turned a corner. It started snowing harder, and the wind was blowing pretty chilly now.

Onyx squeezed his hand again before pulling it away for the warmth of her pockets instead. "Why don't you come inside and dry off a bit before heading home?" she asked as they neared the house. She and Dexter were both soaked and freezing, and poor Dexter was wearing shorts.

"That's actually a good idea." Dexter replied, forcing his teeth to stop chattering. Freakazoid was huddled up in a blanket on the couch with a cup of hot coco. "You should come over to my house tomorrow after school. Duncan might not like it, but my parents are dying to meet the girl whose getting me outside and off the computer." He said, smiling. Onyx laughed.

"Okay, that's tomorrows plan then. But… what about meeting the Lobe tomorrow? I have to be at the school at 8 to meet him…" she said, lowering her voice as she opened the door to the house. It was quiet and dark inside, and the digital clock under the TV said that it was a quarter past midnight. "Okay, my sister and brother-in-law should be asleep, so we gotta be quiet. Want some coco?" she asked him quietly. He nodded as they both took their shoes and socks off, setting them by the heat vent on the floor to dry out. Onyx then walked down the hallway a ways before opening a cupboard, and coming back with two towels.

"Here, dry off with this as much as you can before sitting on the couch." She told him, handing him one, which he excepted gratefully. Onyx started drying her hair out as she went into the kitchen to make coco. Pretty soon she came back with the towel draped on her back and two steaming cups in her hands.

"Okay, grab one of these before I spill chocolate everywhere." She said, hurrying over to him. He took his and set it on the coffee table, letting it cool down a little bit.

"I just had a sudden thought." She said, setting her coco down too and sitting next to him. "Coco always reminds me of that Hot Chocolate song from the Polar Express, you know? I can't drink a cup of it now without imagining Tom Hanks singing into an intercom and wearing a train conductor's uniform."

Dexter smiled, stopping a laugh from coming up since there were sleeping people on the house.

_.:Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles:._

"_Ringing. Ring ring. Why is my phone ringing?"_

Dexter opened his eyes a little and looked at his bedside table where the little cell phone was going off. Groggily he reached over to grab it, knocking his glasses onto the floor in the process. He groaned and decided to get them later, and looked at the phone. Oh, Onyx was calling.

"Hello.." he asked, putting the phone to the ear he wasn't laying on. He flinched when her voice came through a little too loudly.

"Jeez girl, calm down, what time is it?" he asked, looking and his watch. "Ah man, why couldn't you have waited half an hour to call? It's 5:30 in the morning." He managed to moan out, sitting up slowly and stretching.

"Sorry, but I was too excited. Besides, I already told you that I get up at 5 usually. It was on the radio, so much snow fell last night that we don't have school today! It's a snow day!"

Dexter could tell just from her voice that the girl was probably bouncing with joy, and also somewhat out of breath. Fumbling down over the bed, he picked up his glasses and looked out the window.

"Holy shi…" most everything in the backyard was buried so as you couldn't tell what it was supposed to be, just lumps in the snow. He judged about three feet of snow was on the ground now, and it was still snowing. Not very hard, but it _was_ still snowing.

Dexter was now wide awake and fumbling for his clothes while still holding the cell between his ear and shoulder.

"Hey, we should totally have a snowball fight with Duncan once I get over there. I'm shoveling the sidewalk right now, then I should be over once I'm finished. That all right?" Onyx asked. Well, that explained why she sounded out of breath.

"I don't see why not. Duncan might have that hangover to deal with first though."

"That's an easy fix. Just give him two Tylenol… and wait half an hour for it to kick in, he should be fine. Water would be good too… beer dehydrates you quite a lot." Dexter could hear a faint scraping sound on the other end of the phone between pauses and sentences.

"You sound like you speak from experience." Dexter replied, looking for a clean pair of jeans. No shorts today, that would be suicidal.

"Exactly. I actually quite enjoy beer now and then. I like whiskey malts more, and white Russians are better." Another scraping sound. "I don't get drunk though, and have never had a hangover."

"I suppose that's a good thing." Dexter stated, lowering his voice as he crept into his brother's room and left a bottle of Tylenol beside his alarm clock, then crept out again without incident.

"Hey Dex, I'm gunna let you go now. It's already hard enough to shovel this snow because it's thick and heavy, the cell phone is adding a whole new degree of difficulty."

"Hey, no problem. I'm about to go out there now to do the same thing."

"Kay kay, I'll text you when I start to head over." _Beep!_

Dexter pocketed his cell as he went down the stairs, grabbed his coat and gloves, then went outside. To his surprise, part of the walk was already shoveled.

"Ah, Dexter, son, what say you grab a shovel and come help your old man out." His dad, Douglas Douglas, was part-way down the walkway with a shovel already, trying to lift a huge amount of packed snow on the shovel he had. Dexter just shook his head as he grabbed another shovel and went to help his dad out.

"Dad, don't let it get built up into piles like this, that will make it too hard to lift. Empty the shovel before it gets that big and heavy." He said, working at the top of the pile his dad had accumulated.

"I suppose you're right Dexter, I'm not as strong as I was when I was younger."

_.:Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings:._

Onyx didn't show up until around 7:30 that morning. She had explained in her text that after having shoveled the sidewalk, her sister wanted them all to have a big breakfast at one of the restaurants before Taylor had to go to the compound. Not that Onyx minded, she loved pancakes, bacon, eggs, and V8 juice, and anything else that could be considered 'breakfast food'. It just took extra time before she could get down there.

Duncan was just starting to wake up when Onyx arrived, and had already discovered the medicine and a water bottle near his bed. Now he came down the stairs, his headache ebbing away and bottle in hand, wondering at the voices. When he saw who was sitting at the couch with his family, he stopped, staring. He had found his clothes last night, after realizing that she was gone, and had made it home just before it started snowing. He was just about to head back upstairs when his mother caught sight of him and waved him over, smiling that way she always does.

"Oh, Duncan honey! Come say hello to Onyx, she's responsible for finally getting Dexter off of his computer so much."

Duncan stopped with his foot on the first stair, then gradually pulled it back and came into the living room.

"We've met." He said simply. Dexter, who was standing nearby, covered his mouth to hold back a chuckle. Duncan replied to that in his usual manner – punching Dexter's arm. Dexter retaliated, and soon they were having another brawl in the middle of the room.

"Oh it's so good to see you boys rough-house." Mrs. Douglas said, witching and smiling. Onyx now understood what Dexter had said last night about it. Still though, she watched with worry on her face, ready to intervene if necessary. The fight didn't last long though, Dexter was able to bite Duncan's arm before he could choke him, then elbowed him in the nose. A sickening crunch was heard, breaking Duncan's grip as his hands flew to his face. Dexter, forgetting that Onyx was there, ran at the moment of freedom and rushed upstairs, slamming his door shut to get away from his brother.

The brother in question had sat down hard on the floor, clutching his nose. Blood could be seen seeping between his fingers, as Dexter had broken his nose when he had elbowed him. Mrs. Douglas didn't seem fazed, just walking down one hallway and coming back with some bandages and other items.

"Beed a while dind da twerb did dat." Duncan said, his voice changed since he was pinching his nose to stop the blood flow. Not that it helped any, it was getting everywhere. His mother just smiled and sat down to help clean up the mess, then looked up at Onyx, handing her a band-aid box.

"Would you be a dear and see if Dexter is okay? His room is up the stairs and first door on the left."

"Sure thing Mrs. Douglas." Onyx replied, then turned to head up the stairs.

Onyx knocked on the door, and was answered with a "Leave me alone, Duncan." Onyx frowned, and pushed the door open quietly, slipping inside. Dexter was over at his computer, back to the door, and apparently didn't notice her entering. Onyx grinned, shut the door quietly, and crept over to stand behind Dexter. She leaned down close to his ear then.

"I hate to disappoint, but I'm not Duncan." She said, right into his ear to make it feel like a bug was buzzing there. Dexter jerked away with a yelp, yet somehow he managed to bash the side of his head against her forehead. Onyx sat down rubbing her head and Dexter fell out of his seat onto the floor.

"Don't DO that!" Dexter exclaimed, picking himself up off the floor and rubbing his ear. Despite being hit in the head, Onyx was sitting on the floor laughing her ass off. Dexter couldn't help it, pretty soon he was laughing along with her.

"_I swear, her laugh is contagious." _He said to Freakazoid, who was baking cookies again. In the tussle with Duncan, flour had gone everywhere, and he was now in the process of cleaning it up.

Once they calmed down they sat in front of each other cross-legged on the end of the bed. Onyx held the box of band-aids out to him.

"Your mom actually sent me up to 'make sure you were okay'. You know you broke Duncan's nose just now, right?" she asked, setting the box down between them.

"Really? I haven't broken his nose since we were kids. Was mom or dad mad?" he asked, picking up the box and opening it. He didn't have any cuts that needed band-aids, but they were fun little things to play with sometimes. Onyx shook her head.

"Nope. Your dad was barely paying attention, and your mom was smiling the entire time. She's helping Duncan set his nose back and clean up the blood right now." She reached forward and pulled one of the band-aids out. She pulled the paper off of the it and leaned forward again, sticking it to his neck where the cut was last night. Dexter just chuckled.

"Delayed reaction, you're a few hours off." He said, referring to the cut. They smiled. "So… what are you going to do about meeting the Lobe tonight?" he asked, sticking one to her cheek. Onyx just sighed.

"You know, I don't really know. I don't want to get involved with a villain, but it looks like I don't really have much of a choice. Besides, he left a note stuck to the snow shovels this morning, he expects me to show up and if I don't, he knows where I live." She began wrapping band-aids around the base of her fingers. "I want to say that I wish Freakazoid would show up, he seems like a nice guy and all, but I'm not the type of person to rely on others to take care of my problems."

Dexter nodded his understanding, silent. Freakazoid showing up in a situation like this would just put a target on Onyx's head, with the Lobe being the one aiming. He was brought out of his thoughts though when Onyx reached forward and grabbed his hand.

"Come with me?" she asked then. Dexter felt his heart wrench at the look on her face. "I don't want to go by myself. I still don't know my way around very well, and quite honestly the Lobe makes me want to puke. Blood doesn't make me queasy, but no one's brain should be that visible." Onyx shuddered. Dexter nodded, then got an idea. He got a better grip on her hand and pulled her towards him.

"Come here, I'm not going to do anything perverted, I promise." He told her when she resisted. Onyx raised an eyebrow, but relented and moved over to where he was. Dexter had her turn around to face the same direction as he was, then pulled her back to him into a hug, his chin resting on top of her head.

"Don't worry about the Lobe." He said, holding her comfortingly. He could feel Onyx relaxing into the embrace, and smiled.

"Of course I'll come with you." He told her then, after a few moments of just sitting there. Suddenly there was a knock at his door, and they could hear his mother on the other side.

"Make sure to use protection!" she called to them, leaving the door shut, before walking off. Dexter and Onyx stared at the door, utter shock on their bright red faces, speechless.

_.:Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes:._

It was an all-out war out there. They were using anything they could as cover to hide behind: trees, snow berms, bushes. Rabbit trails were made, shelters were crushed, rocks were planted, and snow flew everywhere. That's right folks – they were in the middle of the park, with around twenty other random people, in a snowball war.

And of course, Onyx just had to be in the center of it, chucking snow and ice this way and that. She had also managed to drag Dexter with her, who was huddled down in a shelter making snowballs and packing the walls stronger to hold back the hordes.

Before, when the war was still on a small scale, with only the occasional snow ball chucked at someone, Onyx and Dexter had chosen a small berm of snow next to a bush to start hollowing out. With the bush at their backs, and the wall of snow covering the other three sides, they had pretty good protection from the onslaught that was soon to come.

Now, however, all thoughts were on taking out the enemies.

Onyx ducked down behind the walls of the fort, just in time as a flurry of snowballs flew over her head. Peering out of one of the sight holes, she held her hand out to Dexter, who was making snowballs and stacking them in a small pile.

"We got any snow-nuts left?" she asked, eyeing one person who was a little too close for comfort. Dexter moved some of the snowballs over while looking for a particular kind.

"Only one. You want to use it now, or one of the others?" he asked. There was more than snow around in their little fort. There was also an empty jar of jam, a box of quart sized sandwich bags, and some icicles they had collected earlier. There used to be a pile of walnuts, but they had used those up already.

"Nah, on second thought, lets save that one. How about a jam defender?" she asked. Dexter nodded.

"Still got a few of those." He said, handing her a snowball that had a hole in it. Onyx took the snowball carefully, gave one last glance around, before standing up to throw it at the scout that was trying to get to their hideout. It hit him right in the neck, bursting and staining his skin and clothes. The kid ran back to his previous base, dodging other snowballs behind trees if he could.

The jam defender was a hollow snowball that they had come up with, that they poured jam into. The jam would partially freeze, making the snowball more stable to hold, but the center would still be runny and jelly-like.

The snow-nut was a snowball that had been packed really tightly around a walnut. When you got hit with that thing, it felt like getting hit with a baseball. There was also the ice-spray – a snowball with pieces of ice (hence the icicles) stuck into it like a mosaic. Getting hit with an ice-spray stung like none other, and sometimes left cuts on the skin.

They had one other type of snowball in their arsenal, but it wasn't really a snowball. This was the reason they had the sandwich bags – to keep hold of the snow. Actually, it was slush. This was the slush ball. This, they were not sure whether they were going to use or not. They had made it just for fun with the hot coco in a thermos, so it was a nasty brown color. And there was no way they could use it anyways because it would fall apart in their hands before they had a chance to throw it.

Other fighters had snowballs of their own – one group was making small snowballs that were packed so tightly they had become ice balls. Getting hit with one of those was like having a steely marble chucked at you – it hurt. Others just used plain sized snowballs, many of them imbedding rocks into the center of theirs. It was dirty, but it worked. One guy was chucking icicles (that had the sharp tips removed) at anyone who got too close to him. A little group of children where having their own fight away from the older kids, and were having issues forming a snowball the right way – more often than not they were throwing handfuls of powder towards each other, not really accomplishing anything.

After tossing a few more jam defenders and a few ice-sprays, Onyx sat down against the fort to relax for a few and warm her hands and throat with the hot thermos they had brought. They had disposed of the slush ball – it was pointless and useless, and also gotten rid of the empty jam jar, returning from the trash can by ducking behind bushes and trees so as not to get hit.

"Too bad we couldn't get your brother to come with us, huh?" she asked, taking a sip of her coco. Dexter shrugged, drinking his own.

"I guess. He usually stays home though to work out all day. And quite honestly, the more time away from him I spend, the better." He replied, leaning back too.

"Hmm, I guess I can understand that. Sometimes I don't want to be around my sister, she can be so manipulative sometimes. And crabby, I think it has something to do with being pregnant now, she can get so crabby in the blink of an eye."

"I can understand that. When the occasional girl at school gets pregnant, they get really crabby too. Take offense at every little thing." Dexter sat up and stretched. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm done with snowballs for the day." He said then, putting stuff into a bag. Onyx nodded and moved onto her knees to help.

"So how often does Freakazoid show up around town?" she asked, picking up the thermos and standing up. She ducked from a snowball before waving her arm to signal they were leaving and no longer part of the snow war. A few waved back before returning to their fight, minus that small corner of the clearing.

"Well, depends on what's going on. Big events in town, he's usually around. And of course, whenever one of the villains shows up and tries to destroy something or steal something pricey or dangerous, usually." Dexter stood up and led the way out of the park. It was still snowing, having never stopped, but it was slow small flakes, leaving the shoveled sidewalks looking like powdered sugar was sprinkled on them. Onyx was looking thoughtful.

"I wonder who he actually is…" she started, shuffling her feet on the ice in the gutter. Dexter took a small gulp – he wasn't really sure where this conversation would go.

"I mean, he could be anyone really. Superman was born with the powers, and kept his secret by being a reporter, so no one could accuse him of always being there. But Spiderman was a geek in high school when he got bit. And then there was Wonder Woman, who got the power from their goddess. I wonder how Freakazoid came to be." And on she chatted, mostly to herself, trying to remember as many superheroes as she could and how they got their start. Dexter smiled to himself, before grabbing her arm to pull her back from the street when a car drove past them. That car looked strangely familiar…

"That girl behind us is glaring at us." Onyx said then, catching Dexter's attention. He looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was Stephanie a few yards behind them. Oh, she did not look happy. Catching his eye, Stephanie picked up a snowball and chucked it at him, before turning and stalking off. The snowball would have hit Dexter in the face, but a hand appeared in the way two inches from his face, and caught it. He glanced over to see Onyx with her hand out, seemingly as surprised as he was that she had caught it. Doing a whoop, she chucked it back, hitting Steff in the back of the head.

_.:Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes:._

When they arrived back at Dexter's house, both stomachs were grumbling for lunch, and there was that car again, parked at the curb.

"_**I know that car, I know it, I know I know I know…" **_Freakazoid was saying, hitting his head. Dexter nodded.

"_Yeah, know the feeling"_ he replied, opening the door. He stood back and held his hand out, gesturing inside.

"Ladies first." He said, smiling. Onyx giggled as she passed him, and Dexter soon followed. As they were putting their coats up, they could hear a Scottish accent coming from the kitchen.

"_**Oooh, now I remember!" **_Freakazoid exclaimed, jumping up and down in joy.

"I remember who that car belongs to now. Sounds like Roddy is here." Dexter said, leading the way to the kitchen, an intrigued Onyx following.

"Who's Roddy? He has an accent!" she asked.

"Mr. MacStew is Dexter's driving instructor." Mrs. Douglas answered her, coming into view first in the kitchen, holding a tray of sugary goodness. "Cinnamon rolls?" she offered then. Onyx got a comical grin on her face as the world narrowed down to that tray of glazed bread, and she bounded forward and grabbed a cinnamon roll, nibbling on it, her expression turning to one of contented bliss. The Scotsman in a kilt, who Onyx could now see, laughed.

"I see ye got a new friend, Dexter. And who might this lady be?" he asked, taking a roll himself.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Roddy, this is Onyx Analya. She just moved to D.C. a few weeks ago. Onyx, this is Roddy Macstew." Dexter introduced them, before taking a roll and sitting down. Roddy and Onyx shook hands.

"Nice ta meet ya, mi'lady." Roddy said, before sitting back down. "So ye just moved here? Might I ask where from?" Onyx laughed a little, before answering.

"That is a good question. Actually, I've been living with my sister, and her husband is in the army, so we've moved around a lot. Originally though I come from Eastern Oregon."

Roddy nodded, it was no secret how much military families moved around.

"Well, I just was stopping by to check on Dex, see how the lad was doin." He said then, getting ready to leave.

"Oh, but you must stay for lunch, I'm making clam chowder! You too, Onyx." Debbie said then, pulling out a bag of Bear Creek Soup mix from the pantry. Roddy sat back down.

"Ah, thank ye lass. Yer cookin always does a person good."

_.:Silver white winters that melt into spring:._

The closer it got to 8, the more nervous Onyx became. Roddy had gone back home, and they were now sitting in Dexter's room, reading funny stories in binary. Yes, Onyx still sucks at math, but if given a lot of paper, a calculator, and some time, she could read binary. Unfortunately, to read stories that way would take hours to get the first paragraph done. So it was mostly Dexter reading out loud and Onyx listening.

However, as the hours ticked by, Onyx was listening less and worrying more. Despite the brave face she put on, it was clear she was terrified. Dexter actually stopped reading for ten minutes and watched her, and she didn't even notice. Looking at the clock, he realized the time, and turned his computer off. Standing up startled Onyx though, she jerked back to reality.

"C'mon, it's 7:30, we need to get going now or we might be late." He told her. She nodded, standing up from her spot on the end of the bed.

"You don't have to come with me, you know." She told him as they headed down the stairs. "I'll be fine."

Dexter shook his head though, opening the door. "No, you won't be fine. You're jittery and obviously scared. Besides, I promised I would, so don't worry about it, okay?" he held his hand out to her, smiling. Onyx looked up at him, before smiling slightly and putting her hand in his.

The walk up to the school was silent for the most part, minus the sound of the city and their breath puffing around them in the cold air. Onyx didn't seem to have much energy right now either, so she opted to take the stairs this time to the roof instead of climbing the windows and gutter pipes. They were slippery and covered in ice anyways, and her fingers were cold. When they reached the roof, they went over to the only spot that had cover from the snow, a wall and door to reach the roof from inside the school itself, it had a little bit of tin roofing hanging over it. They sat down by the door, huddled up in their coats, and waited.

It was maybe about five minutes later that the Lobe showed up, right on time by Dexter's digital watch.

_.:OMG that was the longest chapter I have ever typed up! 18 pages on Word!:._

**Author's Notes: MERRY CHRISTMAS PEEPS! I hope you're Christmas went better than mine did – I was bored all day, and my presents were slippers, an electric shaver, a hand-made purse, and an obnoxious alarm clock. Oh, and lots of chocolate. I'll be happy when that time of month shows up. But I digress. I wanted to have this done by Christmas day and posted for you all to read, but as I type this, it is 1:23 in the morning after Christmas =/**

**And GUESS WHAT? My birthday is January 6****th****! I'll be turning 19. You guys should like, totally draw me fan art or something, haha.**

**Kay, so the contest I mentioned is not really a contest, more of a 'how many seconds does it take to find this on Google' type of thing. I'm sure you have noticed that the dividers I typed were not your normal funny authors comments. Your task is this – what song do they come from, and which version of that song is my favorite? The song should be easy to find, but there are so many versions of it (meaning artists who sing/play it) that it is basically a pick and choose. If one of you manages to get that right, then Freakazoid will make you more cookies! =D But ya, thats why the chapter is so long - using all of those lyrics as dividers.**

**Of course, typing those lyrics instead of comments on the chapter left many things for me to say. But now I don't remember all of them. Oh, did you ever notice how short the Lobe actually is? He's like, the shortest villain out of all of them, despite his huge head. Well, if Candlejack (yes, I said his name! He's standing right next to me, I made him promise me I could finish typing this before he makes me disappear) stood on the ground for once and got rid of the bag on his head, he might be shorter, but yeah. Oh, I plan on getting a bunch of the other villains in here at some point or other, I had a strange dream about something that I am totally going to have to do in here some time, involving Candlejack and some of his powers that were not delved into in the show. So yes, I made it up. But it's cool, so don't make fun of me, haha.**


	9. Chapter 9 Freaky Meetings

**Omg I actually have an idea now for a plot! =D Amazing, isn't it? Ha-ha. So, I had an awesome idea to get Jeepers into the story at some point, it's funny xD It won't be this chapter though, it'll be many chapters later most likely. See, I get so stuck on details, that this story is probably going to be many chapters long.**

**And WOW you guys need to go read a Freakazoid/Kim Possible cross-over, there are two of them by the same person, rated M, and the two go together. READ IT. It's called Integration. The author also has it on deviantArt, with tons of awesome drawings and sketches =D**

**And, I am stuck on listening to violin/fiddle music right now. Lots of it. And step-dancing. Mainly Lord of the Dance and Riverdance. And Michael Flatley. And I have watched so much Freakazoid lately that I haven't watched any anime in weeks O_o**

**And now Dexter and Onyx are thrown into action seemingly at a randomly sudden moment! I don't really know if anything built up to this or not xD I really need to get into the habit of making plots and plot outlines and such. This story is just kind of going wherever my fingers take it as I'm writing =/ Anyways, prepare to be shocked.**

**Special Sam – Yes, Debbie is perverted, see episode 6, The Chip, xD Dexter: "Can I go put it in?" Debbie: "Okay hun, but only in your computer." xD And yup, right song ^_^**

**SLRisme: OMG You're back! =D Glad you like it so far ^_^ Your first Freakazoid story actually helped inspire me to get off my lazy ass and start this story.**

**Sammy – OMG you finally reviewed! =D See, I told you that you didn't need an account to review this one ^_^ Yes, Onyx could be a little violent sometimes, haha. And yes, Onyx is human. She's just… special? I shall give no more details! Haha.**

**Disclaimer – Nope, sorry, still don't own Freakazoid. Maybe you guys can give it to me for my birthday? *wink wink***

_.:You ever notice how perverted the Freakazoid show actually is?:._

The Lobe paced around his hideout, a look of concern on his face. The news he had just received was very disturbing, very disturbing indeed. He might just have to cancel his current plans to eliminate Freakazoid, if what he had just been informed of was true.

But there was still that girl, Onyx, that he had to pick up at the school in a half hour. Well, no matter, she would still be his apprentice. If those reports were true, then the D.C. villains would need all the help they could get…

"Medulla, Oblongata." He called his two henchmen over to him.

"Yes boss?"

"I need you to find out for me if this is indeed correct. Check with Jack, Audrey, Royce, Jubal, Waylon, Armando, Invisibo, and Carrion. I'll pick up the recruit on my own. Now go."

With that done, Lobe grabbed his coat and went out the door.

_.:Betcha didn't know his henchmen's names before now, didn't ya? You learn them in the episode 'Dexter's Date':._

Onyx and Dexter stood up when they saw the Lobe come into view by the fire escape.

"Why is the boy with you? Didn't I tell you to come alone?" The Lobe asked. Onyx shook her head.

"No, you didn't. And I'm not coming if he can't come with me." She told him, holding onto Dexter's hand. The Lobe was silent for a moment, hand on his chin and looking Dexter up and down.

"Not the best in the physical side, but then again neither am I. Fine, he can come, but you have to swear to secrecy boy." He told them, then turned back to the stairs. "Now come on, plans have changed slightly."

"Changed?" Onyx asked as they followed. "So we're not going to try and defeat Freakazoid?" Inside both Onyx and Dexter were doing a little leap for joy, but they didn't show any signs of it on the outside. The Lobe sighed, pausing in his step for a moment, before continuing.

"Not for a while, no. I have learned something… distressing, my henchman are confirming it now. If they come back with a positive report, we are all going to have our hands full for the coming weeks. I will explain more later, depending on the reports." His voice was worried. Onyx and Dexter glanced at each other.

"By 'all' you mean…?" Dexter chanced to ask.

"By 'all', I mean every villain with an ounce of power in them in Washington D.C. Cave Guy, Cobra Queen, Kid Carrion, Longhorn, Jeepers, Jack, Gutierrez, Invisibo, and I."

At that time, a cell phone went off. Lobe pulled his out and answered.

"Medulla? Yes.. yes I have them. No, not yet. What? Are you serious? You have got to be kidding me. Okay, we have to call an emergency meeting, get them all together. You already have? Just waiting on us and Jack, got it. Be there soon." He put his phone away and hurried down the street to one of the more busy roads, Onyx and Dexter close behind.

"I am so confused…" Onyx said, as they piled into a taxi that Lobe had flagged down.

"Long story short, we may be villains, but there are some things we do that could be considered good, but only because we would be destroyed if we didn't. Right now, there is an artifact that is in danger, and that in itself puts us in danger, and we need to do something about it." Lobe explained, worriedly watching out of the window. "I'm sure you may have noticed a decline in crime these past few months?" he asked. Onyx shook her head.

"I just moved here, I don't know how bad the crime normally is." She replied. Dexter nodded though.

"I've lived here all my life though, I've noticed. Freakazoid appears less in the papers, and some hero named the Huntsman has been having anxiety attacks because he is obsessed with fighting crime, and there's nothing to fight. Also Lord Bravery I've heard is having a harder time than he should in establishing his career as a super hero." He explained. The Lobe nodded.

"Yes, lack of crime means lack of jobs for super heroes. Normally, that's a cause for celebration in the average person's life, it means the streets are safe." The taxi stopped, and they all piled out. Lobe led the way to a plain wooden door through snow that hadn't been shoveled. It was obvious though there was recent traffic here.

"Okay, when we get inside, you will meet some of the most notorious villains around. Don't be rude. Especially to Cobra Queen, she's touchy about her skin issues. And don't speak unless spoken to, you are apprentices and haven't proven yourselves yet as equals to those with experience." He explained, then opened the door and they stepped in.

At first it was dark inside, and they let their eyes adjust before Lobe lead them down one hallway and opened another door, letting light flood into the area. Onyx and Dexter covered their eyes for a moment, before following the Lobe inside the new room.

It honestly looked like they stepped into a lounge. There were nice couches and chairs, a coffee table, and the air smelled like mocha coffee. On some of the couches and chairs, Onyx and Dexter could see people. Or, as close to 'people' as these villains looked.

One couch was dominated by a large purplish blue man with black hair, wearing only a leopard print loin cloth and a necklace of claws. Next to him was a small thin woman with greenish skin and a full dark blue-green body suit, with a black ornate V on the back and a gold necklace on. Behind the couch and near the corner were three monstrous snakes curled up – two cobras and a python. One cobra was brown, the other was purple and gold. The python was a dark green.

One of the chairs held what looked like a Texas longhorn steer, except it sat up like a human, wore clothes, and was playing a guitar with strange fur-covered hands instead of front hooves. Behind the chair stood a regular looking guy who was trying to hide the fact he was covering his ears. In another, smaller chair, sat a creepy little guy in a grey cloak and a wide black hat, cackling to himself insanely and clutching what looked like a pocket watch.

Standing by the counter that had the coffee was what Onyx at first would have thought was a plain cowboy, ropes and pistols included, but when he looked up she realized it was a zombie. Next to him was a thin guy in a black body suit with white gloves, boots, and a white pointy hood that was in bad need of stitching, holding a little try that had a candle on it, and a loop of rope over his shoulder. He was floating a few inches off the ground as well. And on one more couch, laying down, was a slightly older man in a large black cloak and hood, half of his face covered from view. He looked sickly, and acted it too. Onyx briefly caught the sound of him saying "Oh, moan with me…" before lurching to his feet and running, his face green, to what Onyx presumed was the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Retching could be heard shortly afterwards.

This whole time, Dexter felt very nervous and exposed. As Freakazoid, he had done battle with all of these villains, and sent them all to jail at least once. They didn't know that Dexter was Freakazoid's secret identity, but Gutierrez did. He hoped to high heavens that the former Apex CEO was too sick to recognize him. In his head, Freakazoid was watching everything and gulped, not sure what to do. If him and Dex got caught now, there would be no chance of escape. His thoughts were cut short though when Lobe started talking.

"Go on in you two, plenty of time to gawk once you sit down. It's not like we're going to jump you or anything." He told them, walking past and sitting in a chair. Onyx and Dex glanced at each other again, before coming in and sitting on a small couch near the Lobe. Most of the attention was on them now, making both of them very uncomfortable.

"Who's the new young'ens?" Longhorn asked, putting his guitar down. Gutierrez came back in and laid back down on his couch, not even looking at them. Dexter mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is my new recruit, my apprentice, as you might say. Her name is Onyx. And the boy.. he's just here because she won't come without him." The Lobe explained, before looking over at the poor guy on the couch. "How is Armando?" he asked, motioning towards Gutierrez.

"Well, as you just saw, not that great." Cave Guy answered. Armando rolled over onto his side, his one visible eye closed. But he wasn't asleep.

"I feel like I ate something that's trying to tear its way out of me. I still have some of my strength, enough to get around when I need it, but it's rapidly falling. I feel like I'm turning into a corn husk." He said. He held out his arm and pulled the sleeve up to show them. His skin was pulsing a sickly green and purple and blue in vein-like designs. Jeepers spoke up next.

"The effects of the stone are quite mystical, even now to those of us that know of these things. The sickness is much stronger than we anticipated as well. We have already lost Booger Beast, and Eye of Newt is not far behind. Vorn is tending to Eye now, though we don't think he'll last the night. He was too far gone when we found him." His nasally voice strange to hear, it was clear he was being serious now and was not happy.

"Now, ta make sure we're all on the same page here, what exactly is goin on?" Longhorn asked.

"Yes, not all of us were briefed on the situation when we were called in." Candle Jack said, floating towards the group, frowning. The Lobe sighed, and settled back in his chair. Dexter and Onyx sat forward, eager to hear what was going on.

"Yes, well, it involves the Lode stone." Lobe finally said, and there was a collective gasp. The villains obviously knew something Onyx and Dexter didn't. Onyx cleared her throat apologetically.

"Umm, a naturally magnetic rock?" she asked, confused as to what the fuss was over. Cobra Queen decided to take pity on the girl's confused look.

"About a year ago, a few of us were digging around, helping create a new lair, and we came across a strange object, a stone like nothing we had seen before. It wasn't a gem, or a metal, or an average rock either. We thought maybe it was a deposit of peacock rock, by the colors on it, but studies on it by Lobe showed it was an unknown substance.

"Long story short, we soon found out it was magical in nature, and was powerful enough to slowly destroy us all on its own. We didn't turn it in to the heroes or the government, because they would be stupid enough to use it against us. We may be evil, but we are not dumb. We cannot control it, and we don't want to try either. But it seems to only affect those with supernatural power of some kind.

"For lack of a better name, we called it the Lode Stone, because it's attracted to power. We protect it, because it can destroy us if it falls into the wrong hands. Something has apparently happened to it already, as Gutierrez and Eye of Newt are sick, and Booger Beast is gone."

Dexter had gotten over the initial rush of nervousness in favor of this news, and Onyx was putting on a brave face as well. Cobra Queen sat back in her chair, done talking for now.

"Now you know the story, we need to put our heads together and figure out what to do. Last reports showed that the current location of the Lode Stone is unsafe, evidence of tampering found around the perimeter." Lobe said then. "I propose we move the Lode Stone to a new location, and put a guard on it for the time being."

"We could use mah truck, Bessie May, to transport it." Longhorn suggested. Lobe nodded.

"Yes, the thought had occurred to me. Your truck is armored quite well."

"And Vorn and I could work on a cure for the sickness in the meantime. Since it _is_ magical in nature, that's our specialty." Jeepers added. Kid Carrion stepped into the group then with his cup of coffee.

"And the rest of us could take shifts in guarding it, a few of us per night." He offered, and the others nodded.

"My snakes can travel in the truck as well as guards during transportation." Cobra Queen said.

"I will act as messenger between the groups." Candle Jack said then. Cave Guy looked at him.

"You can travel fast enough for that?" he asked.

"How do you think I arrive so fast every time someone says my name?" Jack replied.

"Hmm, well, yes, I suppose so. And my nights are free, nothing too pressing in the schedule, so I suppose I can stay on guard a few nights." Cave Guy told him.

All the while, both Dexter and Onyx felt very out of place. True, it was an interesting story, and they paid attention to the plans, but they were aware of just where they were sitting – among the greatest villains in D.C. Dexter was trying not to turn into Freakazoid on the spot, and Onyx had a death-grip on his hand – her knuckles were turning white. But other than that, they looked fine. Soon the plans turned to them though.

"What about these two? What can you do to help us, girl?" someone asked. The voice came from a chair that had nothing in it except a scepter with an Anubis head on it. Jack cleared up that though.

"Yes, Invisibo has a point…" oh, so it was Invisibo that was over there, "what could you do while we carry out these plans?"

Onyx and Dexter looked surprised for a moment, Dexter frantic and not knowing what to say. Onyx looked over at him though.

"Close your eyes." She told him, quite sternly. It surprised him.

"But why?" he asked. Onyx narrowed her eyes at him.

"Just close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you to. Trust me." She said, and squeezed his hand comfortingly. Dexter nodded, giving in, and shut his eyes.

"_**But I can't see what's happening!" **_Freakazoid complained.

"_I know, I can't either. Shush though, so we can hear at least what's going on."_ Dexter replied. Freakazoid slumped his shoulders, but complied and strained his ears.

What they heard was quite strange. There was actually very little. Dexter could feel Onyx stiffening up beside him, and then someone, maybe Cave Guy, started whimpering, and the others around them gasped after that.

As soon as it started, it was over. "You can open your eyes now." Onyx told him. When he did, he could see Cave Guy shaking like a leaf in his seat, looking as if he saw a ghost or something.

_.:The plot thickens! =D haha:._

The walk home was a long and tiring one. It had gotten colder as the night went on, turning whatever slush had accumulated on the road into a pure sheet of ice. Onyx still had a death-grip on Dexter's hand, but she wasn't telling him what she did to Cave Guy.

"Onyx, please? I don't want to feel out of place here more than I already do." He pleaded, pulling her to a stop and facing him. Onyx raised an eyebrow.

"Out of place? I'm the one who just moved here, I still don't know my way around." She told him, shaking her head. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do, but we were pulled in and we can't pull back out. All we can do is go along with it for a while and see what we can do."

Dexter frowned, Onyx had avoided his question again.

"I'm aware of that. That doesn't tell me what you did to Cave Guy though." He pointed out, not going to let it go. Onyx sighed and looked down.

"I'm sorry Dex, I don't think I can tell you that yet."

"But why?" Dexter honestly looked hurt now, and it made Onyx feel terrible.

"Because… because I don't want to lose my friend." She told him finally, turning back to the street and tugging his hand. "C'mon, it's freezing out here."

Dexter sighed and followed, trying to think of what she meant. When they reached her doorstep, Dexter turned her around to face him again. She was still looking at the ground. Dexter put his hand under her chin to make her look up at him, and smiled.

"Hey, don't worry about the villains, okay? We'll be okay." He told her, brushing an unexpected tear away with his thumb before pulling her into a hug. Onyx buried her face into his shoulder and held on to him tightly. After a few moments he patted her back and she pulled away to go inside.

Once he was sure Onyx wasn't going to look out the window or anything, he turned into Freakazoid to get home and out of the cold as fast as he could.

_.:How would Freakazoid react to getting hit with a tazer?:._

Warm now in his bed, Dexter turned his thoughts to the very strange meeting. The one time Gutierrez looked at him, he showed no signs of recognition. Dexter thanked the fact that it was probably because he was sick. While Dexter was confused, Freakazoid was not happy.

"_**I don't like it Dexter."**_ He told him, crossing his arms and scowling.

"_Which part?" _Dexter replied.

"_**Any of it. First of all, a meeting of villains is never any good. Secondly, I am not at all comfortable with them holding onto this 'Lode stone' or whatever it is. It sounds too powerful and dangerous. They could easily take over the world with its power by the sounds of it. And thirdly, I don't like the way Onyx is acting. Her mood seems to be everywhere, she's a strong-willed girl one minute and needy the next. She's outgoing and playful today, and secretive and… mysterious, tonight. Cave Guy is no weenie either, she had to have done something bad to make him quiver in fear all night like he did."**_ Freakazoid ranted, pacing back and forth in the Freak-a-zone. Dexter wasn't surprised at the Freak's reaction.

"_Listen, I'm sure she's just confused. The villains said at the beginning that they were too frightened of its power to use the stone for their own goals, and that they didn't trust the government with it for the same reason. And I'm sure there is a good reason for Onyx's mood swings."_ He replied, trying to calm Freakazoid down. He could feel a little discomfort in the back of his brain, that Freakazoid wasn't all that impressed with Onyx lately.

"_**Like what? What good reason could you possibly give me for why she is acting the way she is?"**_

"_Remember all the sugar she consumed today? The hot coco and glazed cinnamon rolls?"_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_And she is a girl. Did it ever occur to you that her actions are the way they are because she might be on her period?" _

Freakazoid stopped and stared, before making a disgusted face.

"_**Okay you win on that one, just don't mention that again!"**_ He replied, his face in his hands.

"_Right-o. I don't have an answer for what she did to Cave Guy, but I don't think she was very happy with having to do it."_ Dex said then, rolling over to face the window. Freak sat up again.

"_**Yeah, she said something about not being able to tell you that, because she didn't want to lose her friend."**_

"_Yeah, I caught that. As if telling me would make me not want to be her friend anymore?"_ he asked. Freakazoid shrugged.

"_**Wait, we were worrying about the same issues with Steff, that she would leave us when she found out that you were me and me were you and vice versa and stuff."**_ He said then, gaining some of his energy back. _**"Then we figured out it was because I was her trophy. She still didn't want anything to do with you after Cosgrove just blurted it out on the plane."**_

Dexter sighed. _"Okay, honestly I don't want to talk about that. It still hurts a bit. But you think Onyx might feel the same way about whatever it is she can do?" _he asked then. Freakazoid shrugged again.

"_**It would make sense. If Onyx is afraid of what her abilities could do to her friendships, she wouldn't want to let anyone know. She knows that there are people like Steff out there, and probably doesn't want that to happen to her."**_

"_Wait wait wait, her 'abilities'? You sure we should assume that Onyx has super powers like us?"_ he asked, raising an eyebrow. Freakazoid just tapped his pointer fingers together.

"_**Well, I thought, cuz I don't know too many humans that can stick their hands into the fire and all… or scare Cave Guy like that…" **_The Freak said then, sounding unsure of himself.

"_Well, okay then, but we have to be careful about what we say to her. Now, we can either leave this be for now and go to sleep, or leave this be for now and change the subject."_

"_**I found lessons on the internet of how to learn Irish step-dancing!"**_

"_Cool. Going to use it any time soon?"_

"_**I don't know yet, it just seemed like a good idea. I really like it though. Maybe they will play Irish music at prom!"**_

"_WHAT?" _Dexter sat up straight in his bed. He had totally forgotten about prom! Here it was, his senior year at high school and three weeks from the last high school dance he'll have a chance to go to, and he forgot about it. Last year he went as Freakazoid with Steff, but that wasn't going to be an option this year.

"_**Ah, calm down Dex. Onyx seems to like you well enough, maybe you can go with her."**_ Freak suggested. Dexter blushed.

"_You know how much I suck at asking these things though. And girls seem to travel in packs, they don't even go to the bathroom by themselves."_

"_**Not Onyx. Man Dex, you really must be flustered today. Onyx always shows up early to school, enough so that you two are the only ones in the classroom for a good ten minutes! And the only girl Onyx is ever around is Ruby at lunchtime, so you should be fine."**_

"…"

"_**Hey, if it makes you feel better, I can take over your voice?"**_

"_I'm tempted to accept that offer…"_

_.:Anyone wonder what Dexter would look like all cleaned up in a white tux, complete with white top hat and white cane, and maybe even a little white bow-tie?:._

**Natha's notes – And yet another chapter done before my birthday! =D Don't forget peeps, it's this Thursday – January 6****th****. Natha will be turning 19 ^_^ **

**If anyone is wondering, Onyx is honestly terrified of working with the villains, but she has this mask that very few people can see through that she puts up on herself. She could be absolutely devastated about something, and no one would know about it because she can hide it so well. Dexter is one of the very few people that she lets see through, though he doesn't know it, but Freakazoid doesn't see it that way and is starting to wonder if Onyx is the type of person Dexter should be hanging around with. Kind of one of those things where you meet someone and you think "Oooh awesome" but then you get to know them a little and start deciding then whether or not you like them. Dexter is head over heels for Onyx, but Freakazoid is a little bit suspicious, even though he respects Dexter's decisions.  
****Kudos to you if you caught the Harry Potter reference.  
****So… no one gets cookies from Freakazoid, as no one tried to guess which version of the song was my favorite =( That makes me sad panda, that people don't participate in my pointless little contests. Makes me think you guys don't read my notes =/ The song was 'My Favorite Things' and my favorite version (of which the contest was about) is by Lorrie Morgan.**


	10. Chapter 10 Prying Eyes

**Hey peeps ^_^ What's up? By time I get this up on the site, I will have turned 19! =D Awesome, huh? Not really, it's one of those dull in-between ages, not like 16 or 18 or 21. But whoop-dee-doo, I'm 19 now =/ On to the next chapter of Freakazoid!**

**Oh, don't forget to check out my Shorts Collection for Freakazoid ^_^ It shall have funny stuffs in it =D**

**Music that helped me write this chapter, if you want to know what I listen to sometimes other than Freakazoid reruns and clips– Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World; Enter Sandman by Metallica; Run Run Away by Slade; Danger Zone from the Top Gun soundtrack; Animal I have Become by Three Days Grace; Move by Thousand Foot Krutch; Kissy Kissy by… idk; Numa Numa by… idk; Move Your Body by0… I forgot; Into the Night by Santana featuring Chad Kroeger (Nickleback); The Current by Blue Man Group featuring Gavin Rossdale; I Skip a Heartbeat by Scouting for Girls; Stripped by Shiny Toy Guns; Major Tom by Peter Schilling; Mad World by Donnie Darko; Harden my Heart by Quarterflash; Hellfire from Disney's the Hunchback of Notre Dame; **

**Entity – It's okay, I understand ^_^ Oh, actually, I used all of the Freakazoid villains except Deadpan and Arms Akimbo. Arms wasn't in it because he's just a thug, nothing special there. And honestly, I forgot about Deadpan O_o Sorry, haha. ^^' Kid Carrion was the zombie cowboy that you see in the Relax-O-Vision episode. He is also in the intro when Freakazoid is hitting them all on the head with a hammer.**

**Candy – I'll try to provide more! ^_^**

**Special Sam – I can't remember what color Dexter's eyes are. You saying you were tempted to draw him made me think of that, lol. And influence from a pic of Vic Mignogna's eyes too, haha.**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING… except the computer I am writing this on. There is even an idea or two in here that doesn't belong to me. I don't own Doom either. Well, I own the game in general, but not the rights and legal stuffs and all to it. I own a bought copy of it, how about we say that.**

_.:I am really liking this idea in my head of Dexter in that white tux…:._

When Dexter awoke the next morning, he didn't know where he was. He wasn't in his bed, nor was he even laying down. Nor could he see, considering he didn't have his glasses on.

"What's going on?" he asked groggily, more directed at the Freak.

"_**Nothing at all Dex, go back to sleep."**_ came the reply. Dexter raised an eyebrow, and moved his arm up to check his watch. But his hands and arms were already doing something else. Eyes widening in realization, he nearly yelled at the poor Freak up in his head.

"_The HELL are you doing?"_ he shouted mentally, taking control of his body back. He put the weights in his hands down and grabbed his glasses.

"_**I WAS working out. I woke up early and couldn't sleep."**_ Freakazoid explained sheepishly. _**"Besides, you could use a little bit of muscle." **_He added under his breath.

"_What was that?"_ Dexter asked, tapping his foot.

"_**Oh, nothing."**_ Freakazoid replied, looking innocent. Dexter just sighed and walked over to look for some clean clothes.

"_I had forgotten that Duncan's old set was in the closet."_ He said then idly, checking his watch again. Fun, it was Saturday. That meant spring break actually started today. Too bad it snowed so much, he and Freakazoid were looking forward to patrolling all day in sunlight. Oh well, just meant they'd have to find a scarf.

_.:Maybe add tails to the coat of the tux? Coat open too, not buttoned closed:._

Considering the snow and the cold, Freakazoid decided to do his patrols today through the local mall. It got his self-given job done, as well as kept him warm. And he got to play around the arcade, too. Added bonus right there. Also gave Dexter some time to cool off, he was still slightly peeved about waking up with his movements being controlled without his knowing it.

He was coming back from the frozen yogurt stand in the food court when his cell phone went off. And, as every person does when their phone goes off, he answered it.

"Yellow?"

"Dexter? That doesn't sound like your voice…"

"_**Oh shite…"**_ Freakazoid thought. He and Dexter used the same phone, the only ones that had his number were those few that knew who he was: Cosgrove, Roddy, Steff, and Professor Jones. And Onyx… but she didn't know who he was. But now he was panicking and not knowing what to do.

"Hello? Dexter, you still there?" she asked. Thinking quick and looking around, Freak ran into a bathroom to change into Dexter.

"Yes, I'm here." Dexter said over the phone. "Sorry, I was eating something."

"Ah, okay. Hey, this might sound weird, a girl asking a boy this, but…" Dexter's heart leapt into his throat… "do you want to go to the mall? My sister and I were going to go, but she decided she'd rather stay home and sleep, and I don't want to go by myself." The lump in his throat went away. So much for that.

"Umm, I'm sorry Onyx, but I have things I need to do. I hear Freakazoid is up at the mall today though, if you still plan on going." He told her, not exactly lying. Actually, he was telling the complete truth.

"Oh, okay…" she sounded sad. Great, now Dexter felt guilty. "I'll talk to you later then."

"Wait, Onyx…" he called out just fast enough.

"Yes?"

"I shouldn't take too long in what I'm doing, so you can probably go ahead and head up there now, and I'll meet you there later?" he asked, hopeful. Any anger he had at Freakazoid from the morning temporarily flew out the window.

"Okay, I can do that. So, see you in an hour or so?" her tone went up a little, a bit happier sounding.

"Maybe, if I can manage it. See you then."

"See ya."

Dexter flipped his cell phone shut and leaned against the closed stall door.

"_**You really like this girl, don't you."**_ It wasn't a question. Dexter sighed and ran his hand down his face. He didn't act this way when he was chasing after Stephanie.

"_Yeah, I guess I do."_ He replied.

_.:No color, not even black. Completely white tux:._

When Onyx arrived at the mall, her first stop was to get something warm to drink. Next, after finishing a pumpkin spice mocha coffee, she headed towards the arcade. She had some pent-up energy (some of it seemingly un-justified anger) that seriously needed to be shot out. Otherwise she would get easily agitated and probably end up yelling at someone or punching something. Perhaps that virtual reality game, what was it? Well, that one with Portho and Mel, would be good. Oh, but she would need a partner. Oh well, find a regular shot-them-up game then for a while.

Onyx was in the middle of an arcade-version of Doom 2 when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Gimmee a minute." She said, before having her character move around the Spider Mastermind to make the Cyberdemon hit it with its rocket launcher. Soon, the two were fighting each other. Onyx moved her character behind a wall before turning to whoever tapped her shoulder. She was met with the sight of red, blue, and black. And no, it wasn't someone beaten to a bruised and bloody pulp.

"Your pretty good at that game." Freakazoid said, looking at the screen. The Spider Mastermind and the Cyberdemon were still duking it out, but the Spider was starting to look a little worse for wear with the constant barrage of rockets on him. 'Course, the Cyberdemon wasn't in shiny condition either, with that chain gun trained directly on him.

"Ya, when I was about five I would sit on my dad's lap and press the space bar to open the doors and hit the switches for him while he shot everything. Surprisingly, the monsters and the gory graphics of the time didn't scare me. I called it the 'Boom' game." Onyx said, watching the two monsters fight each other. "The trick to it is strafing, making them fight each other, and the 'no clipping mode'. I was playing Doom by myself on the comp before any other games you would expect a little girl to play."

Freakazoid nodded, watching the screen. Pretty soon, he pointed to it.

"The Spider thing died."

"Ya, I need to take care of him now, don't I?" Onyx replied, before making her marine character pull up the BFG and hit the Cyberdemon a few times. In three shots of blinding green, the cyborg goat thing died. Game finished. The sound of multiple shots were heard as the game brought up her stats.

"Tch, no end boss? That's cheap." Onyx said, walking away from the game once it went back to the 'Play Game, insert coins' screen. Well, at least her energy was brought back down a little. "So what are you up to around here today? Dexter said you would be here today." she asked Freakazoid, who followed her.

"It's just an arcade game, it's going to cut off like that. I have patrols to do, so I decided to do them here where it was warm." He replied, walking beside her. Onyx nodded in understanding, wandering over in the direction of the food bar of the arcade. You know, the kind with colored bench seats and food you would usually find at a football game, like nachos and hotdogs and sodas of every kind. Onyx sat down and ordered some nachos, and Freak sat across from her ordering just a soda.

Watching Onyx eat was like watching a vacuum – first the food was there, then it was gone. Freakazoid was barely half-way through his soda when Onyx finished her nachos and was starting on a hotdog and some chips.

"Hungry?"

"You could say that. I eat like a horse, but for some reason I've dropped eleven pounds in the last two months. I need those pounds back." She replied between bites. Freakazoid raised an eyebrow.

"You're the first girl I've ever met who is actually trying to gain weight."

"I like to be healthy, not anorexic. I should be right around 135lbs, not 124. That's another reason I'm here, I need some new jeans and a dress for prom."

Little sirens went off in Freakazoid's head. Prom, prom was important.

"You going with anyone to that?" she asked then, taking Freakazoid off guard.

"Huh? Oh, umm, well, my alter ego has a girl he wants to ask, but he's really shy about it." Treading on treacherous ground here. "What about you, you going with anyone yet?" Dexter stayed glued to the little eye-like windows, waiting to see what Onyx would say.

"No, not yet. There is someone I want to go with, but I don't know if he'll ask me. And I get really nervous and usually chicken out when I try to ask things like that." Dexter breathed a sigh of relief, but still kept ears peeled. "I'll still go to it though most likely, even if he doesn't ask me. If anything just so I don't feel left out. Unless my sister convinces me to stay home and watch movies with her all night."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"To you maybe, but you haven't met my sister. She forces me to watch chick flicks with her. She's already made me watch 'Gone with the Wind', 'The Phantom of the Opera', and 'She's the Man' with her. And that's just because I said I never wanted to see those movies." The hotdog and chips were gone, and she was working on a chocolate milkshake now. "I hate chick flicks. With a deep burning passion. Almost as much as I hate math."

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"Why you asking?" Onyx raised an eyebrow at the Freak. He held back a blush and shrugged.

"Just wondering." He mumbled. Onyx laughed.

"I like action movies, fantasy movies, the like. The Lotro movies where good, though I wish they had put some things in it that they hadn't. Like the battle for Hobbiton at the end of the third book, they didn't put that in there. I also like how their re-doing the old comics into movies. Like Iron Man and Ghost Rider." Okay, getting a little too close to the 'Fanboy' tone. Freakazoid got an idea though.

"Hey, I have an idea! Wait right here!" he told her, before zapping off. Onyx just sat there, working a little more slowly on the milk shake.

Freakazoid sped off to movie theatre that was in the mall. Looking up at the movie listings, he nodded to himself, then sped back to arcade. Onyx was still sitting there, looking sadly at the emptiness of her milkshake cup.

"Wanna go see 'Season of the Witch' later?" Freakazoid asked her. Onyx stopped what she was doing and looked up at Freak with big saucer eyes.

"Really? You serious? It has Nicholas Cage in it! He's a warrior from the Crusades! Yes, yes I wanna go see it!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in victory.

_.:I think I found the part of the internet that caused Freak to go wacko O_o Probably the reason so many people are terrified of clowns too. It's on YouTube. Three words – Ran ran ruu:._

Nearby, jealous prying eyes watched the exchange from behind sunglasses and shopping bags. Smiling to herself, Steff started thinking about how she could ruin their little 'date'.

_.:Hey, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned:._

"What do you say, whoever loses at Virtual World pays entrance tickets?" Onyx asked, still holding some energy in. Freakazoid perked up at that.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked.

"Maybe."

"You realize I have an advantage, I am a superhero, after all."

"Maybe in reality, but the fantasy land is my domain." Came the reply.

"All right, you're on!" And they both rushed over to the game system. They didn't really care who was which color, so Freak ended up with Portho and Onyx got Mel. After going through the initial intro of the virtual war, the game began.

Freakazoid was about to shoot at Onyx, but had to turn away and dodge as the pterodactyl swooped down to try and get him. He avoided the dinosaur, but lost sight of Onyx. Great.

Wandering around the landscape, he searched, but couldn't find Onyx. He though he saw her character run behind a pillar, but when he ran to go check, he couldn't find her. It was then that Onyx started quoting creepy poems to unnerve him.

"Lizzy Bordon took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks…" she started off in an eerie voice. Freakazoid started getting creeped out, knowing that her character was following him, even though he couldn't find her.

"Okay Onyx, this is getting kinda creepy, you can come out now…" Freakazoid said, looking around. Onyx chose that time to step out and take a shot at him. He had no escape, and no time to dodge. One life down.

When his character puzzle-pieced back together, Onyx was gone again. But her voice still rang out in that freaky tone.

"When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one." Freakazoid spotted something on the ground in front of him, and moved forward to see what it was. Her gun?

"Hahaha, I have the advantage now! You dropped your gun, now I have two!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, do you? Too bad you won't get to use them." Onyx replied. Freakazoid frowned.

"What do you mea-ah!" An arm appeared in his vision, and Freakazoid was sure that she was choking his character. That thought left his mind though when his character's head was forced around to see her.

"Wait, what did you do? How did you force my character's head all the way around like that?" Freakazoid asked, peering through the helmet to try and get an answer. Onyx answered it for him, Freakazoid saw his vision lift and then turned. He turned green at what he saw.

There, in front of his vision that the helmet gave him of the virtual world, was his character Portho's body… headless. The game didn't have bloody graphics, but it was still disturbing to see. Onyx's character Mel tossed the head forward back towards the body, making Frea's vision jump around, before his body shuddered and broke down, to be puzzle-pieced back together again. Life two gone.

_.:Kinda morbid, isn't it?:._

Nearby, approving prying eyes watched the fight from behind a monitor screen and a large hat. Smiling to himself, the Lobe continued on his way in his shopping, replaying in his mind Freakazoid's shocked face when Onyx made Mel tear off Portho's head.

_.:End this chapter ^_^:._

**Natha's notes – Hey peeps, how's it going? I had fun writing the virtual game, haha. Hmm, I'm thinking about making a creepypasta reference some time soon. *shudders* It's weird, I like those stories on creepypasta, but they mess with my psych later at night, especially since my room is in the basement . I spook easily, even though I know it's fake =/**

**So what did you think? Kinda short, isn't it. Next chapter will be when Freakazoid leaves and Dexter comes in, like he promised Onyx over the phone. So don't worry, I haven't forgotten, haha.**


	11. Chapter 11 It's Show Time!

**Hey everyone, how's it going? So, last chapter was interesting, I got some mixed reviews in it. Nothing bad, trust me, NOTHING was bad, lol. Just some more comments on what was happening than usual. Let's see if I can answer them, lol.**

**Demonic – Trust me, you DON'T envy her. No one can lose weight like that without either purposely working it off or having something wrong with them. If I say more then I give stuff away.**

**Lillith – Yeah, I watched that episode that night too right after I posted the chapter, and realized my mistake ^^' oh well, no harm done. Freak does refer to it many times as 'the virtual world'. I only take it to Fanboy's level when it involves Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. OH! Did you know they are currently filming The Hobbit in New Zealand right now? *fan girl squeal***

**Candy – My thoughts exactly XD Poor Freak better keep his wits about him, lol.**

**Chocolate – Yay, your back! =D Nope, nope, all white. I have this thing about white tuxes ^_^ Ah, who can resist a graphic window? Kind of like the hacks you can type into Pokémon cartridges, lol.**

**Entity – She took his head off to instill fear in him. It would mess up his game, lol. I mean, if someone took your character's head off, wouldn't it kind of throw off your game a little?**

**Okay, so I know it is many many chapters away, but I am seriously considering whether or not to do something drastic in the second-to-last chapter of this story. Drastic as in, when that chapter comes, I will need to change the rating on this story. Thoughts on it? I'll leave your minds to wander on what exactly it is that I'm planning for now, but I would still like your guy's input on it. Think perversely.**

**Disclaimer – If I owned Freakazoid, Dexter would have had way more screen time, and the Lawn Gnomes would have had more mini-sodes, as well as the Huntsman and Lord Bravery. Since that did not happen, it's obvious I don't own it. I don't own anything else in here either =/**

_.:My room is filled with spiders… and I have arachnophobia . They are stopping me from getting into my jewelry box:._

By this point in the game, Freakazoid had only one life left, and Onyx still had all three. He was a little disturbed at having Portho's head ripped off as a way to lose one of his lives, and Onyx's creepy recitals were helping matters none.

"_**Okay Freak, gotta think here. I'm in a dire situation and need to find a way to beat Onyx."**_

"_She's toying with you Freak, messing with your mind with those little poems."_ Dexter told him. _"Fear is a better weapon than any gun, if instilled early enough."_

"_**I don't get it, what do you mean?"**_

"_Remember in Return of the King, how the orcs were catapulting the heads of men into Minas Tirith?"_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_It scared the soldiers and many of them abandoned their posts."_

"_**Oh, I see now. Okay, I get it. So, like when a kid is afraid of getting hit with the baseball, it makes it harder for them to catch it?"**_

"_Yeah, like that."_

"_**Gotcha."**_

With that in mind, Freakazoid set out a little more confidently, looking for the blue form of Mel.

He finally found her, when the pterodactyl gave her position away by swooping down towards her. Onyx took her eyes off of Portho just long enough to avoid the dino, but that was long enough for Freakazoid. Aiming a shot, Mel crumbled to tiny pieces. End life one for Onyx.

Whooping for joy, poor Freak lost sight of the dino. He realized his mistake though as soon as his character was lifted high into the sky of the virtual world, before being dropped to plummet down to the ground and break apart. End life three for Freakazoid.

"Oh the irony…" Freakazoid muttered to himself as the two disconnected from their helmets. Onyx laughed, all creepiness gone.

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's just a game." She told him, stepping out of the little platform.

"But why did you take off Portho's head? That's just barbaric!"

"I did it to scare you. Mess with your mind. Make you lose." She replied.

"Help!" came a random cry from the distance. Freakazoid looked in the direction it came from.

"Well, I'll see you later then, gotta run!" he told her, before zapping off in a white lightning bolt. Onyx just stood there, shaking her head and smiling. What a crazy person. Sitting down at the snack area again, she thought over everything that had gone on. Well, she had done right in not being a villain, and if the Lobe asked how her day went, she could twist things a little by saying that she scared the crap out of Freakazoid by exploiting a bug in a video game, and tricking him into paying for her ticket to a movie she wanted to see. Not much more is expected of apprentices anyways.

Sighing to herself, she looked at her watch. _"When's Dexter going to get here?"_ she thought to herself. She got up and went to wander through the mall. _"Well, might as well go through the stores that a boy wouldn't be caught dead in…"_ she thought, eyeing a bridal boutique. She needed to find a prom dress.

_.:I just had this momentary obsession with Darkheart from the second Care Bears movie O_o:._

Freakazoid checked his watch, one eye on the crook that was being put in a police car. Stupid purse snatchers, so many of them needed to be stabbed in the eye with a hot French fry. At least it gave him a chance to run off though; Onyx was expecting Dexter to show up soon.

So, after being sure that the cop car took off the crook, he zipped to the bathroom and changed back into Dexter.

"_**I get so little time out now-a-days."**_ Freak commented as Dexter headed back up to the second floor of the mall.

"_I'll see what I can do this week. But hey, you get to take Onyx to that movie tonight! I'm almost jealous, ha-ha."_

"_**True, there is that. Hey, do you think I should wear something other than this body suit all the time?"**_

"_Don't see why not. That thing is probably due for the washer anyways."_

"_**But what would I wear anyways? It's not like I'm taking her on a date or anything."**_

"_Well, technically you are. You asked her to the movies later tonight, she accepted. As for clothing, we'll figure that out later. You left her over by the games, right?"_

"_**Yeah. She's probably wandered elsewhere though."**_

About that time, Dexter was passing the store that Onyx was in. Seeing him from the window, Onyx ran out to wave him back.

"Dexter, back here!"

"Hey, get back in here with that dress!"

"Oh, sorry miss, ha-ha." Onyx ran back into the store just as Dexter was turning, so all he caught was a flash of the end of a ribbon and some tulle. When Onyx came back out, she was wearing her normal dark green cargo pants and black t-shirt with neon-rainbow colored Snoopy and Woodstock listening to music. She was also carrying a bag.

"Ooh, what did you get?" Dexter asked, leaning forward to peek in the bag. Onyx jumped back and held it behind her back though, blocking his view.

"Nope, you can't see it yet. Besides, I need to make some modifications to it." She replied. Dexter raised an eyebrow.

"If it's not the way you wanted it, then why did you buy it?" he asked, not quite understanding.

"Well, the idea I have of what I want to wear is in my head, not on the racks. So, I buy something cheap that is similar in color and partial style to what I want, then I add things and get rid of other things, and after all the other complicated things that guys don't usually care about very much are done, then the outfit is complete." If they were able to turn into chibis, Onyx would be the clueless girl with too much confidence, and Dexter would be the clueless guy with a sweat drop to the side of his head.

Dexter put up his hands and looked away. "Okay, I get it, you don't want anyone knowing what you're doing until it's done." He said, and Onyx just nodded before grabbing a wrist and dragging him towards the Blockbusters.

"C'mon, let's rent some old movies and cartoons. Wanna watch movies all day?" she asked, not really waiting for an answer as she dragged him down a few movie aisles. Dexter just rolled his eyes for a moment, before smiling sheepishly when she said "Hey, I saw that!"

About fifteen minutes later they came out, Dexter holding a bag filled with VCR tapes and DVDs of old cartoons, sci-fi mini-series and Tim Burton movies. They had stayed as far away as they could from the chick flicks. They were heading towards the doors of the mall itself when the laughing reached their ears. Onyx slowed down and looked in the direction of the jeering.

A person, appearing their age, was by the mall fountain with his head in his hands as some other teens pushed him around between them, laughing, jeering, calling him things Onyx and Dexter didn't want to even think of repeating. The teen appeared to be in pain, stumbling as he tried to get away from the others, and his arm covered in bruises. He looked up briefly and locked eyes with Onyx, pleading with them.

Onyx looked around to see if anyone else had seen what was happening. They all appeared to be ignoring the scene though, and Dexter could tell that just seeing that pissed her off, she started shaking slightly.

"Onyx…" he started to ask, hoping she didn't do anything rash. Freakazoid wanted out to deal with this. Onyx flashed him a look before dropping her purse and dress bag right where they were on the floor and started forward at a fast walk. The teens pushing the guy around didn't notice her until it was too late.

"You yellow-bellied, over-bearing, pushy, jeering, preppy pieces of crap!" she yelled at them, punching the one who last pushed the poor teen before they noticed her. The guy fell back a few steps with his hand on his face.

"I resent that remark" he gasped out.

"No, you resemble it." She spat back, whirling around to glare at the rest of the group. He was going to have a black eye in a few hours, Onyx was certain of that. The others backed off a step or two, making "Oooh," sounds, much like students do when someone gets called to the principal's office.

"Seems we have a little heroin among us. Whatcha gunna do girl, this thing here doesn't deserve your help." One guy said, motioning to the guy that had now sunk to his knees with his arms covering his face.

"Yes he does. And I'll tell you what I'm going to do about it. I'm going to kick your wimpy little white asses unless you leave, and don't think that I can't." Onyx hissed at him. Now that she had intervened, passers-by were starting to take notice, and the group realized this.

"Oh, we believe you, a little girl could totally takes us all on." the one who appeared to be the leader said, raising his hands up to show he didn't have any weapons. "But we don't need to cause a scene here. Take this gay piece of crap if you want, we'll be on our way." With a snap of his fingers, the others followed him as they left. Once Onyx was sure they were gone, she stooped down next to the guy. Dexter had picked up her bag and purse and came forward too.

"Hey, you okay?" Onyx asked the teen. He looked up a little fearfully at her and Dexter before putting his arms down. Onyx and Dex were horrified to see them covered in bruises and cuts, old and new.

"I can't even go to the mall without being some kind of victim." He said. His voice though was very girlish, too high to be a boy's voice. His face also looked like a girl's face, even his figure did as he sat up on the edge of the fountain. His hair was a bright blonde, almost platinum blonde, and gelled in short spikes, and he had purple eyes. Onyx and Dexter where not sure now if the teen was a boy or a girl. "I'll be fine I guess." He finally said.

"Why were they attacking you?" Dexter asked, as he and Onyx sat on either side of the poor teen. "I'm Dexter, by the way. This is Onyx."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dmitri." He replied, smiling a little at the two. He seemed very insecure, Onyx noticed, the way he held himself as he sat, head down and arms crossed, slightly hunched over. "They do that all the time, because they don't believe me." He finally said.

"Okay… how did these happen?" Onyx gestured to his arms mottled with wounds. Dmitri looked at the floor. Onyx frowned. Dmitri didn't seem to be all too willing to tell much. She shared a look with Dex, then reached down and grabbed her stuff and stood up again, offering her hand to the teen.

"Like old cartoons and movies?" she asked. He looked up, still worried, but a little light back in his eyes.

_.:Oooh, a new character! Who is this mysterious 'Dmitri', I wonder?:._

Once they reached Onyx's house and started watching movies, Dmitri turned out to be a pretty fun person to be around. You just had to get him to open up a little bit. He was a senior in high school, like them, and the reason he didn't go to any of the surrounding high schools was because he was homeschooled, and had only been in D.C for about a year.

"Oh, so you're a newbie here, like me." Onyx said. They had paused in the middle of one of the cartoons to pop some more popcorn and get some ice cream scooped out.

"Sort of, I have visited before because my grandparents live here, so I had a pretty good idea of where everything was before we moved." He replied, plopping down on the couch with a bowl of chocolate chip mint ice cream.

"Dang, I'm still the newbie then." Onyx joked. She picked up her sketchbook and a few choice colored pencils, and started the cartoon again once Dex was sitting. He looked over at what she was drawing, before he raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Did you just draw him in an anime style?" Dexter asked, piquing Dmitri's interest to come see what was on the paper. Onyx grinned.

"Yes, I did. And I kind of mixed the movie and cartoon version of him in it. He's skinny with wild hair like in the movie, but has the purple shirt and doesn't have mold in his hair, like the cartoon."

"Sweet."

"I know, right? I want to draw him with that crazy laugh some time."

"I don't see how that's possible; he's very active while he laughs like that."

"True. I would seriously kiss anybody who could laugh like that though, his laugh is epic."

"I know of a lot of people that would do that, ha-ha!"

And so it went on, passing time in front of the TV. Dmitri was a cool, but Onyx was still wondering about him. Everything about him was just a little off.

When it was about 8:30, Dexter stood up and stretched. They had watched one of the mini-series, two of the movies, and many of the cartoon episodes with a dinner of chocolate, popcorn, ice cream and soda. Taylor and Clera had gone out to a friend's house for the evening, trusting the teens to their own devices, and had said they wouldn't be back until midnight most likely.

"Well guys, I had fun and all, but I have something I have to get ready for back home. Want me to leave the movies here, Onyx?"

"Aww, you're leaving? Okay then." Onyx put her sketchbook down, the picture finished and colored. "Yeah, if you want to, you can leave them here."

"Ugh, I'm probably going to be sick tomorrow." Dmitri said, stretching as well.

"Me too probably. So much junk food today, I'll probably be spending the second half of the night sleeping in the bathroom."

"Hopefully none of us will be feeling too bad tomorrow, we still have a bunch of videos to watch!" Dexter said, grabbing his coat and standing by the door. Dmitri seemed startled for a moment.

"So, you want me to come back tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course we would! Why wouldn't we want you to?" Onyx called as she threw out the empty ice cream bucket in the other room. She lowered her voice back to normal when she came back into the room. "You haven't given us a reason yet not to trust you, and like Dexter said, we still have a bunch of movies to watch. You should come back tomorrow, hang out with us." Onyx emphasized her words with a playful hug. Dmitri smiled sadly and hugged her back.

"Thanks guys, that means a lot to me." He told them then.

"_**C'mon Dexter, I got to get ready to pick Onyx up for the movie!"**_ Freak yelled in Dexter's head, glancing worriedly at the clock. Dexter nodded and moved to give Onyx a hug.

"I really gotta get going, so I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" he said. Onyx nodded, giving him a tight hug before Dexter left.

Dmitri watched for a while as Dexter walked off, before he turned around to look at Onyx.

"I got something I gotta tell you, but I didn't really feel comfortable telling him yet." He told her. Onyx turned her head slightly to the side.

"Continue." She said, sitting back down on the couch. Dmitri sat next to her, and looked really nervous.

"Umm, well, remember when you found me at the mall, and one of the guys there called me a 'gay piece of crap'?" he asked. Onyx nodded.

"Umm, he wasn't entirely wrong. At least, I don't think he is, or, I don't know anymore, I'm so confused!" he put his forehead on his hand. Onyx put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Dmitri, you can tell me." She said comfortingly. Dmitri looked up, and Onyx smiled at him.

"Okay, here goes." He took a breath, then turned and looked Onyx directly in the face. "I'm actually a girl."

_.:Whoa, just had an awesome idea! Now you shall all cringe in terror while you wait to see what I have planned for poor Onyx =D :._

Dexter ran home as fast as he could and was even up to his room without Duncan catching sight of him.

"Okay, Freak Out!" he exclaimed, allowing Freakazoid to come out.

"_Okay, black and grey cargo pants in the second drawer, black and red button down t-shirt in the closet. Red and white striped tie on the desk, tie it tight but loose."_ Dexter told him, and the Freak began searching for said items.

"_**Should we be worried about that Dmitri moving in on her?"**_ Freak asked as he pulled his signature red suit off and other clothes on.

"_I hope not, I really don't want to be competing in something like this."_ Dex replied. _"I think at the moment though he's just glad to see some friendly faces."_

"_**Yeah, he looks like he's had a few rough times. Well, this look good?"**_Freak looked down at himself.

"_Yup, looks great, now go get her before tickets sell out."_

_.:Does Freak sound hawt now? I hope he does, it sounded good to me:._

Onyx waved goodbye to Dmitri as she made her way home. She went back into the house to finish cleaning up before Freakazoid picked her up for the movie, and was thinking about what Dmitri had told her.

The poor girl's story was really horrid sounding, Onyx felt badly for her. Seeing that she still had a minute before Freak would arrive, Onyx left a note on the kitchen table for her sister and brother-in-law, in case they got home before she did, then went to go search through her sister's craft patterns, looking for some crochet fingerless gloves that she could make later for Dmitri to help cover the bruises and cuts on her arms.

_.:End this chapter! =D Steff gets her revenge next, as well as a little more than she can chew:._

**Okay peeps, sorry for the wait and all, but like I'm sure I've said before, I am easily distrac-ooh, shiny!-ted. So, I've noticed that my story is just kind of dragging along, after reading some EPIC fanfics on this site, (seriously, how many stories have you read with a war in them, and the chapter leading up to the war has you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, you can practically hear the epic music, and on the edge of a reading-induced **_**orgasm**_** because it is just SO COOL?) so, yeah, I'm going to try and move this story along a little faster.**

**Oh, thanks to the combined efforts of my mother, Freakazoid and myself, I now have chocolate brownies and cherry pie for you guys. Whoever can guess what Onyx was drawing while they were watching movies gets extra brownies and pie!**

**Honestly, if I could type up everything in these authors notes that I would like to type up, the authors notes would be just about as long as the chapters themselves. I will say though that you should totally go look up a band named Van Canto, and listen to their song 'Last Night of the Kings', as well as their covers for 'Wishmaster' and 'Rebellion'. This group is like, an acapella rock group, plus drum set. And they sound soooo good! One guy can even sound just like an electric guitar. Oh, make sure you watch their vids in 480p; it sounds way better, like the difference between normal sound and surround sound.**


	12. Chapter 12 A Hot Date

**Hey peeps! How are you today? ^_^ Let's see how that movie goes, okay?**

**Ardeth – Yeah, poor Dmitri. She'll get better though! You'll be in for a surprise now though, regarding the movie ;)**

**Lillith – You figured it out! =D Yes, Onyx was drawing Beetlejuice, lol. You can have extra brownies and pie now ^_^**

**Entity – You figured it out too! =D Extra brownies and pie for you too ^_^ Men usually underestimate the power of women because men are physically built stronger, while women are weaker and smaller. Yes, I LOVE Beetlejuice too! ^_^ I have seen the cartoons up to the second episode of season three, but I couldn't find the next episodes, it makes me sad =( **

**CIA – You get extra brownies and pie too! Yeah… I kinda want some ice cream too…**

**Chocolate - *holds tray of goodies out* Yes, I quite like the white tux idea, lol.**

**Spider – Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind =D Oh, you get extra goodies too. Beetlejuice is awesome ^_^**

**Disclaimer – Freakazoid does not belong to me. If it did, Beetlejuice would have made a cameo appearance in it, like the Mask did on the episode 'The Freakazoid'. Nothing else belongs to me either, except Onyx, Dmitri, and the ideas for all this =/**

_.:The show must go on!:._

"So, what did you do after I ran off to do my job?" Freakazoid asked as they stood in line for goodies at the movie theatre. They still had plenty of time till the movie, and it wasn't too crowded yet in the lobby.

"Well, I explored the mall some more, got my prom dress bought, then rented a whole bunch of movies with Dexter."

"Ooh, seems like a movie day today. What movies did you get?"

"Two of the Sci-Fi mini-series, Alice and Tin Man. Then we also got a bunch of Tim Burton movies, and a bunch of the old Beetlejuice cartoon tapes." Now it was their turn for food in the line. "Umm, I'll just have a medium Pepsi." She told Freak. She didn't think she should be eating too much sugar anymore tonight.

"Right-o! Two medium Pepsi's and a medium popcorn please." He told the worker.

"Coming right up sir, just stand over here please." Freak and Onyx moved over to the side to wait for their stuff.

"I liked that version he did of Alice in Wonderland." Freak told her, leaning on the counter. Onyx stood by him playing with the white paper off of some straws.

"I think everyone did. That was just epic."

"Here you guys go, please try not to spill."

_.:Enter zeh blondie:._

Steff walked into the movie theatre, her sunglasses and large coat keeping her from being immediately picked out in a crowd. Looking around, she could see Freakazoid and that girl starting to head down the hallway with popcorn and sodas, talking animatedly about something. Smirking to herself, Steff followed a few paces behind. Seeing which screen they went into, Steff retraced her steps back to the lobby.

"Okay, now where is it… there we go!" She muttered to herself, finding the stairs off to the side of the lobby. The stairs led to a room where parents would usually take their children if they were crying, and they could still see and hear the movie without bothering others. If you went past that room though, you came to another room, where the movie projector was. No one was up there yet, the man in charge of that off taking a coffee break before needing to come back.

Examining the room, she noticed a little box on one of the walls. Opening it showed some wires. Grinning to herself, Steff pulled some little pliers out of her pocket, and clipped a few wires. Nothing happened, but Steff was sure they would be noticed later. Worst case scenario, it would create a few sparks, making the fire sprinkler system go off, stopping the movie and having people running out.

Nodding to herself, Steff put the pliers away and went back down to the lobby. Seeing as how she wanted to make sure something happened to ruin the date, Steff went ahead and got a ticket for the movie. Might as well, instead of standing in the lobby for two hours.

_.:Meany Steff, going around and cutting wires:._

Freakazoid and Onyx shared the popcorn, and it was half gone before the previews were even done.

"Wait, they're turning the _Smurfs_ into a 3D movie? In New York! What happened to Gargamel?" Freakazoid exclaimed, staring bug-eyed at the screen. Onyx was huddled back in her chair, with much the same expression of shock on her own face.

"I don't know, but they butchered the lala song with drums and an electric guitar…" came her reply.

All talking quieted down though once the movie started.

About a quarter of the way through the movie, Steff grinned, thinking that soon the sprinklers would turn on and soak everybody. She put her coat back on, but stayed in her seat.

By the time the movie was half-way over, Steff was wondering whether or not her plan would work, as nothing had happened yet. She glanced nervously up at the little window that the projector shot through.

The movie was three quarters of the way through when everything went downhill.

Being one of the smaller of the theatres in the building, it naturally got warm because of body heat. People were shedding coats, Onyx had put half of her hair up in a makeshift bun with a pencil in her coat, Freakazoid even let loose the top button on his shirt. So, as the theatre got warmer, no one really paid much attention.

And, naturally, sometimes the workers in the lobby end up burning something, usually either popcorn or a worker smoking a cigarette on his or her break. The smell was feint enough that no one paid much attention to it.

It was the deafening _crack!_ that got everyone's attention. The movie flashed off and the speakers seemed to short out. Everyone looked around in confusion, pretty sure that this wasn't part of the movie. Where the crack came from was at first unknown, but then the smoke started leaking through the window that the projector poked through. Then, a monstrous roar, and the projection box burst into flames.

It seemed time stopped for a moment, as everyone watched the flames in a second of shock, before people began screaming and running for the exits.

"Onyx, you get out of here, I have to make sure no one is trapped up there!" Freakazoid yelled to her. Onyx nodded, eyes wide, and Freakazoid zapped off. She looked around before she headed to the clogged exits. The flames were spreading rapidly, licking their way up and down the padded walls. Why wasn't the sprinkler system working? Already the room was almost taken over in flames, beams starting to try and fall from the ceiling.

Most everyone was out now, but Onyx had a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. Sweeping her eyes one more time over the abandoned room, she saw it. A girl, about her age, standing near the back of the theatre, staring at the flames. She was still in shock apparently, and wasn't moving, just a look of horror on her face.

Onyx tried yelling at her, but her voice was drowned out by the roaring of the fire and the cracking of the wooden beams. Smoke was trying to choke out her voice as well. Since yelling wasn't working, she started making her way to the girl, climbing over and around debris.

Onyx was about five feet from the girl when she snapped out of her shock. She saw Onyx, and a tear came down her cheek. Onyx immediately recognized her.

"This is all my fault." The blonde whispered. Onyx had to strain, but she heard it.

"Listen, it doesn't matter right now whose fault it is, we need to get out of here before the place crashes on top of us!" she yelled, grabbing Stephanie's wrist. She started to turn and pull the girl to the exit, but all of a sudden she felt white-hot pain. First on the left side of her face, then the right side of her body, then finally her arms. The pain faded just as soon as it struck though, and Onyx blacked out.

_.:Divider:._

Freakazoid had gotten the worker out of the projector box, and made sure no one was in the silent room, before going down to the exit of the lobby to help everyone get out. But each face he searched, every person he saw, he couldn't find Onyx.

Starting to get desperate, Freak ran around the crowd, looking for her. Maybe she had gotten out a different exit, and was waiting for him to show up, or maybe she was still inside, trying to get out with the crowds that were still coming. But the crowds thinned down, the flood became a river, then a rush, then just a trickle, and finally no one was coming out anymore. But still no Onyx.

Freakazoid looked up at the burning theatre, it was beyond just dangerous now to go back in, the place was falling apart. But Onyx was in there, and Dexter was on the edge of having a panic attack. And Freakazoid was a superhero, it was his job to run in there. Onyx…

Taking a deep breath to ready himself, Freakazoid ran into the theatre, calling out her name. Just as he reached the door to the room they were in for Season of the Witch, he saw Onyx fly across the room, having been hit by a metal beam that had swung down one side. She landed on her side next to some seats that were burning. He saw Steff, standing next to where Onyx had been a moment ago, horror on her face and a scream on her lips.

"Steff, you need to get out of here!" he yelled at her, making his way over to where Onyx had fallen. From where he was, he could see her arms under one of the seats that was burning, sections of almost-molten fabric dropping onto them. Finally, he made it over to her, picking her up in his arms and making his way as fast as he could out of the burning theatre. Stephanie was no longer there, having finally ran out of the theatre.

The left side of Onyx's face was only slightly burnt, but her eye was bleeding badly. Her hands and arms were badly burnt too from the chairs. As soon as Freak made it out of the theatre, he ran over to the ambulance that had showed up with the fire truck.

_.:The next day…:._

Dark, it was very dark. And warm. No, there was light, there was a glow of orange light through one of her eyelids. It wasn't completely dark. There was pressure on her left eye though. Pain, her right side ached. Pain, her arms, they stung so much. Her arms hurt.

Onyx groaned, announcing that she was now awake to her waiting family. Clera, her sister, was at her side in an instant.

"Where am I?" Onyx asked, opening her right eye.

"You're at the hospital, honey." Clera told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Where… what happened? Where are my friends?" she asked next, trying to sit up. But her forearms hurt too much, so she stopped. Clera helped by raising the back of the bed she was in, so that she would be in a some-what sitting up position.

"You got stuck in the theatre as it was burning, Freakazoid saved you. Your friends are with Taylor, we finally convinced them to go get something to eat." Her voice was soft and caring. That's what Onyx liked about her sister, she knew when to be loud and pushy, or quiet and caring. Onyx lifted her hand up to her eye, she could feel a little bit of padding taped over it.

"What happened to my eye?" Then she saw her arms bandaged all up. "And my arms?"

Clera took a breath, then reached over onto the table for something. Pulling it into Onyx's vision, it looked like a roughly made crochet eye patch.

"It's not much, but it'll due until I can find an actual pattern." She said, putting into her hand. "I just started crocheting to keep my hands busy, and came out with this."

Onyx looked at the striped eye patch, her sis had used variegated yarn, and she felt her eyes burn a little. "My perception is going to be screwed up for a while, isn't it?" her voice cracked a little. Her sister nodded.

"Only for the first few days though, you'll be able to work through it though. You should be able to go back to school next week without having to worry about it too much." They were silent for a moment.

"So.. it's permanent?" Onyx finally asked. Clera nodded. "And my arms?"

"Badly burned, the material on the theatre seats is partially plastic, so it literally was molten cloth that covered them. They still work, they'll just be scarred and mottled once they heal up."

"Oh…"

The two sat in silence for about five minutes. It was when they heard talking in the hallway that they snapped out of their thoughts. A moment later, the door opened, and Taylor came in with Dexter and Dmitri, all three carrying boxes of takeout.

"She awakens!" Taylor said dramatically, making Onyx giggle a little. "I was getting ready to hang you upside down again if you weren't awake by time we got back."

"Oh Taylor, be nice to her."

Onyx wasn't listening anymore though, she was looking over at Dexter and Dmitri. Dmitri handed a box to her as they sat down. Onyx could smell Chinese coming from it. Damn she loved her new friends.

"Hi guys." She said, smiling weakly. Her eye was patched up, but the whole left side of her face felt bruised and sore. It probably was, when she thought about it.

"Are you feeling okay?" Dexter asked, helping her open the Styrofoam box. Her fingers were slightly burnt too, and it hurt to move them too much. Thankfully, they graced her with a fork instead of chopsticks this time. No competing with Taylor this time to see who could eat their rice the fastest.

"I guess I'm feeling okay. My face and right side aches, and my arms feel like they just got the worst sunburn of the century."

"They kinda did, the medics said that your arms were covered in that molten fabric, they had to shoot you up more than normal on the sedative so that you would stop screaming while they pealed it off." Dexter told her, before biting into a piece of pork. Onyx's eye widened a little.

"I was.. screaming?" she asked.

"Yeah, don't you remember it? You also managed to give one of them a black eye." Taylor told her through a mouthful of fried rice. Onyx shook her head.

"No, I don't remember anything past a few white-hot pains, first on my face, then a blunt pain on my side, then more white-hot on my arms. It went away almost immediately though before I passed out…"

"It's okay Onyx. A beam fell from one end of the ceiling at the theatre, hitting you in the face. The blunt pain was probably from you hitting the ground, and you had landed right in the middle of some chairs that had been burning for a few minutes already." Dexter said.

Onyx listened to them all talk for a while, eating a little bit of her Chinese, before closing it and trying to put it on the side table. Clera caught it before she dropped it, and put it there for her. Onyx then reached for Dexter's hand, and just held onto it. She was fighting to stay awake, even though she had just woken up an hour before. The nurse came in with a needle to put some morphine into her IV, which Onyx noticed for the first time. Shortly after, she was asleep.

"Looks like you're kinda stuck there for a little bit." Clera told Dexter. Onyx was still holding onto him, despite the burns on her hand.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He said, sitting back in his chair. He didn't really sound like he minded though. "Besides, my parents won't miss me for a while, and Duncan probably doesn't want to look at me for a little bit anyways. He's still sore at me for elbowing him in the nose."

_.:Aww, poor Onyx having to stay at the hospital for the night:._

Onyx woke up the next morning, still aching a little. She had more energy than last night, that was for sure. Thinking back on what was all wrong with her, Onyx realized that it was mostly all cosmetic. True, she no longer had sight in her left eye, so her depth perception would be screwed up for a while, but she would work through that. The only other thing to worry about was her arms. They still stung like as if they were covered in wasps, and they probably would for a while until the skin grew back. But long-sleeved shirts and fingerless gloves would hide the scarring.

So this was okay, in a weird and twisted way. She actually had a reason now to wear gloves everywhere and to look for cool eye patches. Trying to focus on the good things, however little they were, Onyx gingerly sat up and looked around the room.

Dmitri was curled up and sleeping in a chair by the corner, and Dexter was in the chair on the left side of Onyx's bed. Clera was sitting at the desk to her right, focused on an open laptop. Taylor was probably at work.

"Sis?" Onyx asked. Clera twitched, startled from the screen. "What are you doing?" she asked her, trying to see the computer screen with her one eye. Clera smiled and turned the laptop to face Onyx.

"I'm looking for patterns for eye patches." She told her. "Though I think you'll have better luck buying them from Amazon or something like that." She added, looking accusingly at the screen. Onyx giggled.

"But where is the fun in that?" she asked. "Anyone can just go and buy an eye patch. There are so many different colors and types of yarn that we could make them out of!"

Clera just smiled and turned back to the laptop. Her sister always tried to put a mask on to hide how she was actually feeling.

They let Onyx out of the hospital around noon. She got to see what her arms looked like before then, as they changed and re-wrapped the bandages on them before she could leave. Every tiny shift in the air against her skin made her cringe, but she got through it with dry eyes. Her arms were dark red and orange and shiny, skin missing in many places. The nurse held up a bottle of liquid and looked apologetically at her, before opening it and gently lifting the first arm.

Onyx's eyes went wide, and before the liquid touched her she used her other (still wrapped) arm to grab Dexter's sweatshirt that was laying across the bed, and bit into a larger wad of it. The material muffled her scream as the alcohol washed over her arm, as well as stopping her from grinding her teeth together too tightly. They went through the same process for the other arm. Still no tears, but her voice was hoarse afterwards. And Dexter's sweatshirt now had a hole in it.

"Sorry about that, Dex." Onyx told him as they walked out of the hospital.

"It's okay, it's an old sweatshirt anyways." He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her as they neared the concrete stairs. Her depth perception already proved fatal when getting out of the bed, in that she had misjudged how tall the bed actually was. End result – ending up sitting on the ground with a sheepish expression. She didn't need a repeat from just going down three steps.

"I'm surprised you made it out of that with only second-degree burns. All of the nerves on your lower arms should have died already. Hearing that you were in pain is actually a good sign." Clera told her, opening the vehicle door for her. Once she was sure she was in, Dexter and Dmitri climbed up after her.

"So, what now?" Onyx asked, as Clera pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction of home.

"I figured we would go get some ice cream before heading home and watching movies where we know it's safe." Came the reply. Onyx just nodded her understanding before looking out the window. She wished that Freakazoid had come visit her while she was awake, if anything so she could say thanks for going back for her. Hopefully she'd see him again soon.

A quick stop at the closest ice cream parlor, and they were heading back to the house with heaping scoops of sugary, icy goodness, ready to watch more Tim Burton movies.

_.:Don't hurt me! .:._

**End chapter twelve. Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? Don't hurt me! *dodges boot to the head* Yes, I know I made Onyx lose sight in one eye, *dodges another boot* and her arms are going to be all scarred up, *dodges again* and I'm not going to let you kill Steff for it, *dodges once more* because I need her in some more chapters! *runs away from bloody chainsaw-wielding mob* I'm sorry! *hides***

**So… did I do okay with the fire scene? Did I write it out well? I hope I did, I'm not that confident with important scenes. Oh, for those of you wondering, I'll get to Dmitri's back-story soon. It is actually kinda sad =(**


	13. Chapter 13 And So It Begins

**Hello peeps! Natha here ^_^ Hope ya'll had a good Valentine's Day! Mine was semi-okay =/ Not much of a holiday for me, all my friends despise it with a burning passion. Speaking of despising… *glances at the chainsaws in the corner* I'm keeping a watchful eye on you guys, Steff is suffering enough already at the hands of the main character of another fandom of mine. *hears cackling laughter in the basement* Ah, Beej does his work well, don't you think? =D**

**So, the point of view switches many times in here, and if you find it disorienting, I apologize =/ I am still trying to figure out my own style of writing, after all. And I decided to go more into that now. Usually, I try to keep the chapters long yet short (if that makes any sense…) and try to get things done. I've been holding back on details and emotions and descriptions I know that I could do better if I just took the time to do it. I'm going to actually take that time now, if I can, and try and make these better, longer, more full chapters.**

**Demonic – You know, you reviewed like, not even half an hour after I posted the last chapter, right? Haha.**

**Lillith – It's cherry pie actually, but chocolate brownies! Yes, the Mask made a cameo appearance in the episode 'The Freakazoid'. It was like, the Freakazoid version of The Godfather.**

**Entity – O_o *is on the look-out for Char* By the way, when are you going to update? ;P**

**GaruAlpha – Glad you liked it ^_^**

**Spiderwriters – Don't worry, all will be revealed ^_^ Your welcome! =D Hmm… nice idea, I'll keep it in mind.**

**Now, on to the episode! Beej, if you will? Come up and leave Steff for a moment.**

**BJ: *mumbles* "Disclaimers, ya know I hate 'em."**

**Natha: "C'mon Beej, I thought you were the Ghost with the Most!"**

**BJ: "Yeah yeah yeah, I know. Nath doesn't own anything here."**

_.:I love my poltergeist, almost as much as I love my boyfriend and my Swede ^_^:._

Onyx stepped into the bathroom of the house, and looked in the mirror. It was Monday night now, Dmitri had gone home already, and Dexter was going to leave within the half-hour. Just after dinner, Clera had helped Onyx take the bandaging off of her eye to replace it with a plain black eye patch. Now, looking in the mirror, she lifted her hand up, and gently pulled the eye patch off.

Her left eye, where it had once been almost black because it was so dark a brown, was now a striking light blue and silver, with a dark outline fading in. It looked almost as if shards of ice were formed into the shape of an iris, the points facing in to her pupil, and placed over a black silk cloth. But the eye was blind, how could she have a black pupil?

Taylor had told her earlier that he had met people before who were blind, and you wouldn't be able to tell, because their eye-color did not change. Maybe this was another one of those cases, she thought. Sighing, she took one last glance at her blind eye – it really did look like many icicles and shards were placed over black cloth – and gently slid the eye-patch back in place.

The Lobe would not like this. She was to report to him tomorrow at noon, and he would give her instructions as to what to help out with in transporting the Lode Stone. With her depth perception out of whack (she had already had a migraine because of it) and her arms still bandaged up and frail, she would seem pretty much useless. Well… maybe should could use that… no. She knew that was the reason her burns were not worse, but still, she didn't want to come to rely on it like her aunt did. Onyx finished up her business in the bathroom and left it to go sit on the couch by Dexter.

They had, again, watched movies all day. Onyx wasn't drawing this time, like she did two days before; her fingers stung a bit every time she moved them very much, and her arms seemed to take objection to laying on anything that wasn't soft and cloth-covered. Onyx solved that problem by putting a pillow on her lap and laying her arms on it. Dexter looked over at her as she sat down.

"You sure you'll be okay?" He asked for the hundredth time. Onyx sighed and rolled her good eye.

"Yes Dex, I'll be fine. The burns will scar over soon, I'm a fast healer, and I can just take Tylenol for the headache until my eye adjusts to the depth of things, which shouldn't be more than a day or so." She told him. Dexter frowned though, not convinced. He put his arm over her shoulders, giving her a sideways hug, before standing up to gather his coat and gloves to leave.

In his head, Freakazoid was fuming. He had been this way since the fire, not really knowing what to do. He was mad, he knew that much. He was mad at Stephanie for not leaving with the rest of the crowd, otherwise Onyx wouldn't have tried to go back for her. He was mad at whoever or whatever caused the fire. He was even mad slightly at Onyx herself, for not listening to him and leaving the burning theatre when he told her to. But mostly, he was mad at himself, first for having left her there to check on the man in the projectors box, and secondly for not reaching her in time to stop the beam from hitting her in head and causing her blindness, for not catching her before she hit the ground, and for not pulling her fast enough from the burning material to stop the boiling skin.

He knew he shouldn't, that it was all just misfortune of the time, but Freakazoid blamed himself for Onyx's pain. Every grunt or squeak of pain he heard through Dexter's ears, every grimace or wince he saw through Dexter's eyes, hurt Freakazoid considerably, emotionally. Just as bad as it hurt emotionally when Steff was turned to stone by the Medusa watch, or when he learned that the boat rides from Disneyland were gone. No, this was no time to be silly, it hurt more than the boat ride's disappearance.

Her arms would heal and become horribly scarred, they wouldn't be the pretty smooth pale he had seen, but blotchy and rough. To avoid ridicule, Onyx will forever have to wear long-sleeved shirts or elbow-length gloves. Until they do heal, every brush against something solid, every caress of air or change in the currents while the bandages are off, will cause her excruciating pain. And she will have to deal with that twice every day until they do heal over, as well as the pain from the antibiotics she cleans them with to prevent any kind of infection. There was another thing – if it got infected, a whole new world of hurt would be upon the poor girl.

Then there was her eye. He hadn't seen it yet under the bandage – no one had other than Onyx, Clera, and Taylor – but every time he looked at the eye patch or the bandage, he would feel a tear come to his own. She would never see out of that eye again, only half of the world visible to her gaze. Depth perception is an important thing in any creature's life, until she gains it back to some degree with her one eye, Onyx could easily fall down any kind of decline or run into something. It sounds funny at first, even to watch maybe, but not when you truly think about how much the person is suffering. The migraines Onyx will get too will put her on edge, make her mood waver.

Even as Freakazoid thought all of this through, Dexter knew it too. No one should have to go through something like this. But it does, and it is now with Onyx, and all they could do is encourage her and help out best they can until she can deal with it herself and tells them to back off.

_.:I really hate the name 'Stephanie' now. Some chick at the high school is trying to steal my boyfriend, and her name is Stephanie. She's not a blond bimbo though, she's fat and has brown hair, and looks like she's 30 years old. No worries though, I am currently in the process of teaching her where her place is, which is NOT hanging off my boyfriend like a whore:._

The next morning, Onyx woke up a little later than usual. Taylor was letting her sleep in, instead of hanging her upside down each morning like usual. Well, at least it was spring break, she didn't have to worry about being later to school. Onyx glanced at the clock on the VCR, it was about 9:30am. Yawning, she sat up and stretched, then looked around for her family. They were not around. Curious, she went into the bathroom and dressed, decided to push the futon back into a couch later, and walked around the house.

She could hear bumps and the sound of scraping wood in one of the rooms, as well as music from… was that the song they sang at the end of Lazy Town? Onyx shook her head slightly, smiling, and walked into the room. Taylor and his friend Novak were in there, as was Clera. Taylor was mixing paint, Novak was putting mud over any tack and nail holes from the previous tenants, and Clera was sitting on a twin bed that was covered in plastic, humming with the music and reading a book. She looked up as Onyx stepped in.

"Hello sleepy." She said, putting her book down. She scooted over and pat the space beside her. "Come sit with your sister while the men do all the work to children's music." She giggled. Onyx smiled and took the offer. Taylor and Novak glanced up momentarily.

"Hey squirt." Novak said in his usual chipper voice, before returning to his work. Onyx smiled. Novak was Taylor's best friend, they grew up together and both went into the military. It was a miracle that they managed to stay in the same unit. He was kind of short, really easy to get along with, and always looked on the bright side of things. And his cooking was phenomenal. Onyx would swear that even microwave popcorn popped faster and tasted better just because he put it in the microwave.

"So uh, what's all this?" Onyx asked, pointing at the two guys. Clera giggled like a school girl who just caught wind of a juicy new rumor.

"Weeelll, Novak heard what had happened, and wanted to help a little bit, so he talked to Taylor and I, and now here we are, working on your room for you." She told her, smiling wide. Onyx looked at her, blinked, then looked over at Taylor and Novak.

"Thank you." That was all she could say. She didn't want to try to say anymore, with the influence of the pain medication she was on, her mood changed swiftly, and she felt like crying right now.

Screw it, she was going to cry. Onyx leaned over to hold onto her sister, and let the tears finally fall. Not just because of the drugs affecting her mood, but all of it. The medicine, her family's kindness, her friends' worrying, the accident, her eye, all of it. She cried and cried and cried.

When her tears finally dried up, and her nose was under control, Onyx crawled off of the bed and walked over to both Taylor and Novak, giving them each their own hug, before sitting down by the paint cans. But it wasn't paint, like she had thought.

"We only have the primer right now, didn't know what you wanted your walls to look like." Taylor explained. Onyx thought for a moment, then got up and left the room. When she came back, she was holding a few of Taylor's D&D books. She sat down and started rifling through the pages, looking at some pictures.

"You can't possibly expect us to paint one of those pictures, do you?" Novak asked, sitting down by her. Onyx shook her head.

"No, I'm looking for something in particular… ah-ha." She raised up the picture to show Taylor and Clera.

"The castle?" Clera asked.

"Not exactly, just the walls. Can we do that? Paint the walls to look like an old stone castle?" Onyx asked. "Then we can paint arches over the window and the door, or something like that. And the ceiling, make it look like the night sky from back home, with the Milky Way streak visible, and the greens and purples from the little nebula's, and the stars be silver paint so it reflects whatever bit of light is in the room!" She was getting excited now, her right eye glazing slightly as she looked up at the currently white ceiling.

_.:So maybe I don't hate the name Stephanie any more. The girl trying to steal my boyfriend hit her head and lost her memory XD And, Stephanie is the name of a girl you can't help but like from the show Lazy Town, which I am momentarily obsessed with:._

The closer it got to noon, the more anxious Onyx became. She was with Dexter now, sitting up on top of the high school again. Because of her coat, you couldn't tell that her arms were bandaged up, except for what you could see on her hands. Even then, they just looked like fingerless gloves. She had an eye patch on though, one of those square ones with the two straps like she had seen one cool character wearing in Air Gear.

Dexter, sitting next to her, and Freakazoid, in Dexter's head, were both a little anxious, and even a little hopeful. They didn't like dealing with the Lobe in this way, especially now that Onyx had been so badly injured. All reports should say that Onyx shouldn't even be allowed outside, let alone very far from the couch. But here she was, feeling good for the most part, a bag in her pocket full of Tylenol for the headaches from her vision. Dexter knew he healed fast, but this girl next to him was just tough, no other way he could explain it. He was pretty sure that if Steff was in her position, she would be doped up on pain killers and still crying, moping over her loss of sight and complaining about every little thing. But Onyx.. she was just… silent.

Finally, they were both jerked out of their thoughts at the sound of the Lobe's voice floating up to them. Looking down over the edge of the building, they saw him down on the ground by a black car, Medulla and Oblongata down there as well, waiting for them. Dexter with his hand on Onyx's shoulder again, they went down the fire escape, dropping down that last eight feet that the stairs were raised. Onyx winced slightly when she had used her hands to brace herself, but said nothing otherwise.

"You okay?" Dexter asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Was her only reply. Nevertheless, she let him help her up and keep his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong with you?" The Lobe asked as they got in the car, crossing his arms.

"Depth perception has been thrown off, resulting in migraines and occasionally tripping over my own feet." Onyx told him.

"Can't you just take that silly eye patch off? Depth perception is usually thrown off when you only see through one eye."

"Yeah… see, due to recent events, taking this eye patch off isn't going to do anything other than show off to the world that there is no longer a brown eye, but a blue eye there."

The Lobe looked taken aback for a moment. "You mean to say that your left eye is now blind?" he asked, surprised. Onyx nodded. "But how did that happen? You weren't in the theatre that burned down on Friday, were you?" he asked accusingly.

"Actually, yes I was. I was unlucky enough to be, excuse the pun, but blind-sided by a swinging iron beam that hit me on the left side of the head, sending me flying across the room. I'm now half blind, and my lower arms look like raw beef under the bandages." Hey, just telling him the truth would be best, Onyx thought. No need to sugar-coat it.

"This better not affect your duties, missy. I've decided that you are to escort Longhorn as he retrieves the Lodestone and moves it to its new location."

"This will not affect me in the slightest, so long as no one grabs my arms. Speaking of which, how is the other villain with the eye patch?" She asked then, trying to move from the subject of her pain. Dexter sat listening.

"Armando is not doing well, he is now officially bed-ridden."

"Have you or Jeepers been able to figure out how to counter the sickness?" Dexter asked.

"Not exactly. Jeepers and Vorn are still trying to find a cure, and I spend my time monitoring Armando. I have only been able to stop his condition from worsening."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? At least he won't become any sicker."

"But he is also now a vegetable until we can cure him."

"But at least he has hope for a cure." Onyx cut in. "He knows that he won't be like this forever, right?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But we are not here to discuss Armando's hopes. Okay you two, get out of the car, this is your stop. Jubal is stocking up some snacks in the convenience store over there, meet up with him, then you two will load up in his semi and retrieve the Lodestone."

Onyx and Dexter looked out the window, they had driven to a truck corral on the outskirts of D.C. Looking at each other for a moment, they shrugged, and got out of the car.

"And don't mess this up! It's your first assignment, I expect a good review of your actions from Jubal!" Lobe yelled at them over the sound of the many semis that were at the gas station. Onyx raised a thumb up to show she understood, before Oblongata put the vehicle in reverse and pulled out.

"_**Well, looks like it's time to get this show on the road."**_ Freakazoid said to Dexter, as they turned towards the truck corral.

_.:Oh my bahjeebees, I have a job now! =D:._

**Natha's Notes: YES! I have a job! I am a housemaid at an inn ^_^ And before you ask, no, I do not where those ridiculous (but cute!) black and white dresses and aprons that the Japanese anime usually portray (even though that would be awesome). I wear old jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt, sneakers, and have to put my hair back.**

**Oh, that reminds me! I am going to dye my hair electric blue soon! =D I know, right? Seeing me, who has red hair that is so long it reaches past my butt, suddenly show up with electric blue hair instead? Crazy, huh? Lol.**

**So… I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Took me forever to write, I know, but I have been letting my attention wander so much, so… And now that I actually have a job, I have money, so I can go buy things, like DDR, haha. Peace!**


	14. Chapter 14 The Lodestone

**Hi peoples! ^_^ I return, after forever it seems. Hope you all had a good Saint Patrick's day, And Easter, and any other holiday I missed naming! I was, of course, entirely decked out in green for Saint Paddy's day. So, I have a confession to make… I did not even start working on this chapter until the end of March. Sorry, but my other obsessions got in the way temporarily, like Lazy Town (check out my new fic!), an original story I'm making (still working out the 'government' system for that world), as well as turning that original story into a D&D instance for our Ravenloft campaign every other Friday, and downloading a game because my current favorite band did a song about it (Van Canto, a cappella metal (with a drum set), did a song called 'Magic Taborea', for the game 'Runes of Magic'), and listening to the CD of my favorite band ALL THE TIME when I'm not working or weeding the garden. Seriously, listen to the music on Van Canto's CD Tribe of Force, it's really, really good. I'm listening to it now, even. The only songs on it that haven't grown on me yet are My Voice, Master of Puppets, and Hearted.**

**Oh, and Ralph Macheo is on Dancing with the Stars this season, by the way. He's the ORIGINAL Karate Kid, he looks like he's in his twenties, but he's actually like, 48, and HE CAN DANCE. Like, seriously, I want to dance like the Karate Kid now, he is so cool. Mr. Miyagi would be proud of him.**

**Demonic lil Angel – Yeah, I wanted to make people sad for Onyx, it's something that can happen to anyone at anytime, but we push through it. Oh, making an injured girl work? Meh, builds character, lol. I mean, pretty much all she is expected to do is accompany Longhorn on the ride to get the Lodestone and bring it the right place.**

**LillithDemon – Nice to meet you Nate ^_^ I hate computer viruses, they suck =( Well, I haven't dyed my hair blue yet… I just haven't had the time, and I don't really have set days off from work in order to set a date to go in, so I'm waiting for ones of those times that I also have a dentist appointment, so that I can just get it all done on the day off. Oh, sorry for making you cry, by the way, but it was kinda what I was going for. The ability to make people cry from what you write is actually a big accomplishment for you to be proud of your writing skills for, haha.**

**Entity – Hey, nothing wrong with getting the new Pokémon game, I still collect the cards, lol. I even have Pokemon White now too! Man, I wish Latin was available for ME when I went to high school =( That would beat Spanish class ANYTIME! I hated Spanish class… Yeah, people liked to use me for target practice in gym too… I can't remember how many times I've been hit in the face with a volleyball while playing long-ball. I'm amazed my glasses never broke… I never even got a black eye or bruised, which I just now realized is really weird O_o**

**CMR Rosa – Yes, I got your messages, I just didn't reply to them =/ Finding out what happens to Steff will just have to wait, won't it? See, I don't usually make a plot for a story until I'm a good ways in… I actually didn't have a plot for this story till like, three or four chapters ago, so I honestly don't know myself what I will do with Steff.**

**Spiderwriters – Haha, that was a short review. Thanks anyways, lol. Oh, did you get your username from the show Spider Riders? I liked that cartoon, it was cool. I really liked the opening theme. Just thought I would say that, lol.**

**So, yeah, Freakazoid doesn't belong to me. I just realized that if it did, it probably wouldn't have so many funny obscure references, because I'm not always that creative.**

_.:So… pray for Japan. They need it. Donate money in some way if you can. I donated by buying an awesome t-shirt from disastees dot com:._

Onyx and Dexter walked into the convenience store section of the truck corral, looking for Longhorn. Just as Dexter spotted him, Onyx wandered off down a different aisle for a moment, before coming back with a little bottle of pills and a bottle of water.

"Got two bucks on you?" she asked, checking her own pockets. Dexter did the same, coming up with one dollar. Onyx fished out a handful of change from her own.

"Cool, can I borrow that?"

"What for?" Dexter asked, eyeing the pills and holding the bill out. Onyx held the bottle up so he could see what it was.

"Dramamine, I get motion sickness pretty badly. And having been laid up the last few days isn't going to help that any." She replied, snatching the dollar and going to the counter. Dexter shrugged and put his hands back in his pockets.

"_**I didn't think she would get something as common as motion sickness." **_Freakazoid mused. Dexter almost snorted.

"_C'mon, it's not like she's some Mary Sue."_ He replied, following Onyx over to where Longhorn was grabbing some snacks for the ride.

"_**Funny, hearing you say that, when you're the one following her around like a little lost puppy." **_ Freak teased. Dexter bit the corner of his lip in thought.

"_Yeah I guess, but still, think realistically. She's just human, and as much as I like her, I'm trying not to put her up on the unreachable pedestal that Steff was on. I want a relationship with Onyx, not a trophy."_

"_**I guess we kind of saw Steff as a trophy too, didn't we?"**_ Freakazoid asked. Dexter stopped for a minute.

"_Now that I think about it, yeah, I guess we have."_ He realized. Not only did Steff see Freakazoid as a trophy boyfriend, what with him being a superhero, but Dexter and Freakazoid saw Steff as a trophy as well. She was the perfect girl that was always just out of reach, until they finally got her, and she was a treasured possession. When she turned to stone that year ago, they reacted not because of actual love, but it was like having a toy taken from them, and they wanted it back.

"_**Maybe that's what a puppy crush is?"**_ Freakazoid asked. Dexter mentally shrugged, keeping his attention on not running into anyone while in the conversation with the Freak. Onyx was talking to Longhorn about something, and already climbing up into the truck. He climbed up in, and almost didn't notice when Onyx ended up sitting on his lap.

Onyx noticed, and was a little embarrassed, but since Dexter didn't seem to mind (he actually looked like he didn't even register it at the moment, she realized), she settled and stared out the window, just hoping her Dramamine would kick in before they hit the winding roads Jubal had told her they would be driving eventually. Sitting there was bound to happen, she realized, since there were four of them (her, Dexter, Longhorn, and his helper, who's name she had failed to catch), and only three seats.

Back in Dexter's mind, he was still talking with Freakazoid.

"_I don't know, maybe not a puppy crush, but I definitely know it was obsessive."_

"_**Yeah, too obsessive for a puppy crush, I guess. Oh, hey Dexter?"**_

"_Yeah?"_

"_**You've just become Onyx's seat and seatbelt."**_

"_Huh?" _Dexter promptly snapped back to the present – they were in Longhorn's truck and pulling out onto the road, and he just fully realized that he was indeed being used as a seat, and Onyx was holding his arms around her waist as a makeshift seatbelt. Wow, this was awkward.

_.:My boyfriend did that for me one time. There were like, seven of us piling into a five-seat car. He wrapped his arms around my waist to act as a seatbelt, since you can't really wear one while sitting on someone's lap. We were not dating yet, but it was only awkward to those around us, because we were high on Mountain Dew and other sugary products, lol:._

After having been on the winding, looping back roads for about an hour, Onyx was feeling a little woozy, but not bad enough to be worried about yet. Putting her hand on the cold window helped her feel a little better, as well as pointing the AC right at her face. The Dramamine also made her drowsy though, so she was leaning back against the corner of the seat, Dexter's shoulder, and the door. Not exactly comfortable, but better than trying to sit straight up. Wow, she hated motion sickness, almost as much as she hated math. Sometimes more… as far as she could remember, math class had never made her throw up.

Watching the landscape out the window, Onyx eventually nodded off, sleeping the rest of the way to the Lodestone's current holding place. Dexter watched her for a little while, before turning his attention back out the window. Longhorn brought his attention back inside a moment later though.

"So, what's so special 'bout you?" he asked out of the blue, leaving off from an argument he was having with his lackey. Dexter looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the little lady has only agreed tah be Lobe's apprentice if yer allowed tah come too. So, what's so special 'bout you?"

"Oh, umm… well…" Dexter thought for a moment, not really sure how he should answer. "Well, Onyx has only been in D.C. for about a month, and I'm the first friend she made."

"Friend? I think you two act a little too friendly to be just 'friends'. Aren't you two dating?" Longhorn asked then. Dexter's face got very red. Before he could answer, Jubal began laughing.

"It's okay sonny, I understand. Workin' up the courage tah ask a lady like her out can be more difficult than listenin' tah tahdays un-talented singers."

Dexter worked up a weak, embarrassed laugh. "Heh-heh, yeah." Onyx shifted in her sleep, and Dexter's eyes automatically went to her for a moment.

"Yessiree, you got it bad, son. Take some advice from an old cattle rustler: make the little lady yers soon, or else some other strapping lad will come along and steal her out from under yer hooves." He told Dexter, before turning his full attention back to the road and whatever new song he was trying to sing.

"_**I thought Longhorn worked at a cat litter factory before, not a ranch."**_ Freakazoid commented.

"_I thought so too. You know, it's not often I get to just watch the scenery when on a road trip. Duncan is usually bruising my arm too badly for me to notice anything."_

"_**Hint taken, shutting up now."**_

"_Thanks."_

_.:I think I'm paranoid, I keep thinking my phone is vibrating with a text message, but it's not, lol:._

When Onyx woke up, the truck was slowing down on a gravel road, close to stopping. Blearily rubbing sleep from her eye, she sat up and looked out the window. They were in the mountains (did they really travel that far?) and she could see the top of a bunker in front of them.

"Hmm, the sleepin' beauty awakes." Longhorn said, killing the engine. Onyx would have blushed, but instead she was plagued with a yawn. Longhorn chuckled and got out of the cab.

Onyx and Dexter stretched once they were out on the ground again. Being spring, the trees were in full bloom, along with the wildflowers, the grasses, and the bugs. They were surrounded by tall oak trees, and you could see some thorny gooseberry bushes over by a low, wide creek. Cicadas could be heard everywhere, and a large red dragonfly flew past. Onyx looked around in awe. Dexter raised an eyebrow.

"You act like you've never been in a forest before." He told her. Onyx shot a glare at him.

"Puh-lease, don't you remember where I come from? I'm just used to my forests having needles, not leaves. It's… really different, being in a leafy forest, instead of a pine and fir one."

Dexter thought for a moment, Onyx had a point. Pine forests looked, sounded, and even smelled completely different from deciduous ones. Cicadas were not found near as plentiful in the west as they were over here, instead being replaced with bees or other bugs. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to look at the bunker. Longhorn was already starting down the steps, and Dexter and Onyx soon followed.

The few lights that there were in the stairwell were very dim, and Dexter kept a hand on Onyx's shoulder the whole time they were descending. Every now and then Longhorn would pause at a metal box in the wall and open it, press a lengthy series of buttons, and not allow them to keep going down until the panel would emit a long low beep.

"Security an' all that. Wouldn't want ya' tuh be cut in half or somethin' like that." He told them the first time. The group kept behind him after that.

They were almost at the bottom of the stairs when they saw the Lodestone. The stairs themselves curved around the room as they went down, allowing them to see the stone from all sides. It was in the shape of an obelisk, though significantly smaller, just the right size to fit into Longhorn's truck Bessy Mae. The coloration was that of peacock rock, copper tones and blues, greens and purples, even some orange and red mixed in with the silvery-black. It was oddly beautiful and haunting at the same time. It didn't look as though it was carved into that shape of an obelisk, but it didn't look natural either.

"_**Whoah, I'm picking up some strange sensations from that thing."**_ Freakazoid commented.

"_What do you mean?"_ Dexter asked. He felt like this was a creepy place, but that was it.

"_**I don't know, as if I'm being drawn towards it almost, yet pushed away at the same time. I don't know how to explain it."**_ Freakazoid replied. His sounded confused, and Dexter frowned, it was odd to see a time in which Freakazoid was at a loss for words.

Beside him, Onyx had a strange expression on her face. She seemed almost mesmerized by the Lodestone, but she felt as if it was physically difficult to look away from it, not painful, but as if there was a resistance of some kind, even though she was able to keep pulling her gaze back to the stairs.

Longhorn seemed to be having the same plight as Onyx, but instead of looking on it with awe, he looked at it with disgust. Longhorn knew the dangers this thing could create, and was creating already, and he hated it, even if it did call to him. He wanted to destroy it, but the villains knew no way to do that without causing the equivalent of a nuclear explosion.

Finally, they reached the landing and stopped, looking around the room.

"How are we going to get the stone up to the truck, with all those stairs?" Onyx asked, looking back up the way they had come. She didn't like the idea of lugging that thing up all those stairs. Longhorn followed her gaze and laughed.

"Don't worry yer pretty self o'er that, yer just here to provide minor assistance and watch. Watch and learn, that is." He told her. Onyx raised an eyebrow, but Longhorn just winked and tapped the side of his nose. As if on cue, there was a flash of fire, and Candlejack appeared beside them with his coil of rope. Though, he had quite a lot more rope with him than Dexter remembered that he had at Camp Whenamigunnagohome.

"You ready, Jubal?" Jack asked in his echoing voice. He tossed an end of rope over to the bull-man and started floating around stone. The stone didn't seem to affect Jack, at least not physically. Since his head was behind that odd mask of his, you could rarely tell his facial expressions. He did look up at it every now and then though.

Candlejack went around and up the stone, creating a harness around it with his rope while Jubal tied his end around his own waist, as well as calling Dexter and Onyx over to be tied up too, and his lackey.

"_**Whoa wait up Dexter, what's with getting tied up to the rope?"**_ Freakazoid asked, spazzing out.

"Jack is like a poltergeist, right?" Onyx asked Longhorn. The man looked surprised at the question, as was about to answer when Candlejack himself floated down to them.

"The harness is finished and ready. Yes, I am very similar to a poltergeist. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I remembered something from my mythology class at school. Poltergeists feed off of the collective fear and adrenalin of those around them, and that feeds their power"

"I remember that now." Dexter added, thinking back to it and calming the Freak in his mind. "If you're like a poltergeist, then your powers will be amplified with us tied to the rope like this, making it easier and less draining on you to float the Lodestone up and out the bunker."

Jack looked impressed, or at least as impressed you could look with facial features like his. "You nailed it on the dot." He told her, emphasizing the last word with a snap of his end of rope, and they all rose about four feet off of the ground. The Lodestone shuddered and made a crackling noise, and Jack glared at it and snapped the rope again, making it glow a faint yellow. The Lodestone shuddered again and rose off the ground a few inches.

Sighing to himself, he looked around the room, then stopped and stared at something at the far end. Jack let go of the rope momentarily and went over behind the Lodestone so they couldn't see him. When he came back around to them, he was cradling something in his hands. The guys could see it, but Onyx could only look with one eye and it wasn't very visible.

"What is that?" Onyx asked.

"Something that will give me the boost I need to get this rock off the ground." Jack replied smiling, and floated over to Onyx. He held his hands up about two inches from her face, then pulled one hand off, revealing what he was carrying. It was a large, furry, brown tarantula. Dexter barely got to cover his ears in time to drown out the results. That was one thing he remembered talking to her about – Onyx was absolutely terrified of spiders, even small ones that you could squish with your finger.

Onyx screamed as loud as she could, whacking Jack's arm to fling the spider away from her as she flailed around to make herself fly backwards on the rope and hide behind Dexter. Candlejack seemed unphased, only gripping the rope tighter and turning to look at the stone again. It was now floating four feet above the ground like the rest of them, and Jack gave the rope a testing tug. Satisfied with its movement, he turned and began floating up the stairs, everything attached to the rope close behind him… including the spider. When it became airborne as a result of Onyx, it landed on the rope, and was now creeping slowly along it towards the group.

"Kill it, kill it with fire!" Onyx yelled out, squeezing all feeling out of Dexter's arm and staring wide-eyed over his shoulder at the offending arachnid. Afore mentioned spider stopped its advance for a moment and looked at her. Dexter could have sworn the thing looked emotionally hurt. Longhorn was at the very back of the line, so it most likely wouldn't reach him, but he still watched it with a wary eye.

The spider stayed where it was for the rest of the journey up the stairs, but it kept staring at Onyx, continually giving her the creeps and therefore feeding more energy to Jack. Once they were out in the open air again, Jack snapped the rope, and they all fell to the ground, while the Lodestone remained floating. The tarantula looked around itself fearfully, before turning about face and scurrying for its little life towards the trees.

"Oops, no you don't." Jack said, producing a glass jar out of no-where and following the spider. He scooped it up into the jar and put a lid on it. "I'm keeping you, you're useful." He told the thing. He then floated over to Onyx, but kept the jar a respectful distance from her face this time. Onyx glared over Dexter's shoulder at the spider. It shrank into the corner of the jar.

"Thank you." Jack told her simply, before going back over to the Lodestone. He and Jubal began turning it and twisting it on the rope, maneuvering it into the back of the semi. Dexter turned to Onyx then.

"Can I have my arm back at some point?" he asked. Realization dawned on Onyx's face as she let go of him.

"Sorry about that…"

"It's okay. Hey, how did you think of that myth class so fast? Our teacher barely even skimmed that section of the book because it wasn't as important as the project she was trying to get us to."

"Are you kidding me? I live and breathe mythology, even when I was little I was watching movies about dragons and goblins and magic instead of playing house or dollies like the rest of the little girls my age. We're painting the walls of my bedroom to look like the walls of a castle, for crying out loud!" If Dexter didn't know any better, he would have thought Onyx had completely forgotten the incident with the spider.

"_**Wow, Fanboy would go nuts if he ever met this girl…"**_ Freakazoid commented, feeling a little better now, though still a little dazed.

"_That's why we will be keeping her away from Fanboy."_ Dexter replied.

"_**Oooh, getting possessive now, are we?"**_

"_And you're not?"_ Dexter teased.

"_**I have no idea what you're talking about."**_ Came the reply, as Freak hid an Onyx plushy behind his back.

Meanwhile, Candlejack and Longhorn were tying down the Lodestone in the back of the truck. While they were down in the bunker, two of Cobra Queen's snakes had arrived, one was already curled up at the front of the covered trailer, and the second was ready to slide in once the two men came out.

"I don't trust this thing, and nobody else should either, so I want all eyes open on our surroundings as we leave this area, got that?" Longhorn said, coming over to Onyx and Dexter and clapping them both on the back. Dexter stumbled forward a little at the force of the clap, and Onyx winced a bit.

"Understood sir." Onyx replied, her voice strained a little as she held back curses under her breath.

"Good, now let's load up!"

_.:So, sorry for the long wait =/ Life is full of time-consuming things:._

**So… yeah =/ Long wait for a so-so chapter. I am SO sorry . Really guys, I am =( But hey, guess what? It's not official yet, but I will be getting married next Christmas break! Not this coming one, but the one in 2012. My boyfriend hasn't talked to my dad or gotten rings yet, so that's why it isn't official. My parents don't even know yet. But yeah ^_^ Send reviews! I'll try to get another (better) chapter out in a shorter amount of time than I had this one out.**


	15. Chapter 15 Fire and Ice

**Okay, first thing is first – I AM SO SORRY for taking over five months to update this . Seriously, I did not realize the time was going by that fast. Plus, so much has been happening. NO, I am NOT getting married at Christmas. I'm not even with the guy anymore. I refuse to marry someone who is going to lie to me and cheat on me with four women, as well as having sex with all of them. I say no more on it. Point is, I'm with someone else now, and this man is a hell of a lot better than the one who cheated on me. Also, I will be attempting the NaNoWriMo this year. So I figured I should get back into the groove of writing by coming back to this anyways, ha-ha. AND I drew Freakazoid and his Onyx plushy. It is in my deviantart account. Check it out sometime =)  
Yuki Kilala – SAMMY! =D *twirls you around in hugs*  
XBloodMakeRikaX – Thank you =)  
Entity – Hehe, you know how the whole wedding thing turned out…  
spiderwriters – Haha, Team Rocket, digimon cast and Spidey all wanting you to write for them, I hope it works out without any fights, lol.  
Lillith – Yes, I almost felt sorry for the spider… almost. Haha.  
CMR Rosa – It might, I haven't decided yet. Possibly in my Shorts fic I have going.  
Magma – Well, I was going through a hard time, and I'm my own worst critic, so I guess being negative about it is kinda expected ^^'**

I do NOT own Freakazoid. If I did, there would be an amazing live-action movie of it in the process of being made. Ah, if only.

_.:Do you wanna date my avatar? She's a star, and she's hotter than reality by far:.  
_  
Everyone piled back into the cab of Longhorn's truck, and soon he was pulling back out onto the dirt road. Longhorn watched the road, while the other three watched the area around them. Nothing showed up to stop them or jump in their path, and they were almost back to the paved road when Onyx saw something orange in color moving through the trees.

"I wonder what that is…" she muttered to herself, but at that moment it disappeared behind a bush, then a bull elk jumped out and ran off.

"Not uncommon to see the wildlife around this area. Especially since it's so secluded, they are more plentiful, and hunting is not allowed on this patch of woods either." Longhorn told her, having noticed the elk. Onyx nodded and turned back to the window, but kept a worried face on. Elk were brown, and the thing she saw in the trees was orange. Whatever it was must have spooked the bull.

Once they were onto the main road, Longhorn's lackey pulled out a remote controller, and two armored vehicles appeared on the road. One stayed in front of them, and the other drove up behind, escorting the truck.

"Your robotic cars ran my family off the road one time." Dexter told him, frowning and crossing his arms around Onyx. The guy barely looked at him.

"Sorry sonny, had to test them out at some point." Was his reply, the majority of his attention on the controller and the two cars. Dexter rolled his eyes. Onyx put her hand up to the cool glass and began drifting to sleep again – curvy back roads don't mix well with her. And by now she had gotten used to the idea of sitting on Dexter's lap. Nothing else, at least to Onyx's knowledge, out of the ordinary happened on the road trip. Well, as far as 'ordinary' was when you're sitting on someone's lap in the cab of a semi truck being driven by a bull-man who thought his horrible warbling was the most wonderful music ever heard by mortal ears. Onyx was amazed she could sleep through it all to the drop-off point of the Lode Stone. Dexter wished he could fallen asleep earlier.

Again, as the truck began to slow down, Onyx woke up. Looking out the windows, she noticed they were back in civilization again. Well, sort of. There were buildings around, but no people. It looked like they were in an abandoned military base. And, oh yeah, there was still snow around down here. Onyx looked over her shoulder and poked Dexter awake.

"Huh? Oh, hi Onyx… why are we sleeping together?" He asked, still in a haze. Onyx giggled, and Dexter remembered – oh yeah, Lode Stone. He re-adjusted his seat and looked out the window. And frowned.

"_Uh, Freak, doesn't this look like…?"_

_**"Yeah, yeah it does. Lobe must have rebuilt it after the explosion that Hand-Man caused."**_

_"You mean that YOU caused."_

_**"Er, yeah, I meant that."**_

_"That really was a stupid get-up. I can't believe you had your hands married to each other."_

_**"Hey, the left and right hands are meant for each other."  
**_

"_Whatever…"_

Dexter was brought back to reality as Onyx opened the door of the cab and got off his lap, hopping down to ground. She wobbled a little on impact, but managed to stay standing. The whole depth perception change must still be bothering her a bit, he thought. He unbuckled and got out.

There was another car around – Lobe's limo. Him and his two bodyguards were standing by it, watching them. Dexter and Onyx walked over to him.

"Guide the truck to that building over there. Jeepers and Vorn are supposedly erecting a protective magical ward inside the building. Once the Lode Stone is placed within the ward, we villains should be shielded slightly from the Lode Stone's affects on us." He told them.

"Thank goodness, that thing really is a Lode Stone, I feel pulled towards it and pushed away at the same time…" Onyx commented off-handedly. Dexter and Lobe both stopped to look at her.

"_**She said the same thing I did…"**_ Freak told Dex in his mind.

"You can feel it's affects as well?" The Lobe asked, surprised. Onyx raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, is that a bad thing?" she asked, worried now.

"It means you have a chance of being sickened by it as well. And, it means there is something not normal about you." He told her gravely. Dexter's eyes went wide, and Onyx swallowed a lump in her throat. She was hiding something from him, Dexter thought sadly. Onyx was keeping a secret from him.

_**"Or maybe she doesn't know either?"**_ Freak offered, giving their friend the benefit of the doubt.

"I don't like all of this magic mumbo-jumbo, but I have no choice but to believe in it, after everything I've seen. Once we've unloaded the Stone, I want you to go see Jeepers and Vorn. They will do a physical on you and see if we can unlock whatever magic might be inside of you." Lobe said, and walked away before Onyx could protest. Dexter looked over at her – she had a terrified face on.

_.:We're his little henchmen and we take our job with pride, we do our best to please him and stay on his good side:._

Onyx sat on the counter of the makeshift lab (it was a kitchen…) within one of the buildings on the compound. And she looked about ready to flee the room. They had her sitting there in her underwear and bra.

"I swear that if I think you're enjoying this, I will personally shave your nether regions with a rusty cheese grater." She told Jeepers. Vorn and Dexter, who were sitting at the table, both looked surprised and horrified. Jeepers just laughed.

"As painful as that would be, it would also do no more than turn me on. Now drink this." He told her, handing her a glass of clear liquid with some stones in the bottom. Onyx held it up and looked at it.

"What is it?" she asked, leery.

"It's just a glass of water. Those stones magically cleanse it. If you have any magic inside you, then it will be brought to the fore-front and be easier for Vorn and I to read it." He told her. Onyx still looked a little leery.

"Just drink that water already!" He yelled at her, waving his arms. "And don't swallow the stones, I'll need them back." He added as an after-thought. Onyx finally gave in and drank it.

"Good, now, I need to draw some blood, as well as take a lock of your hair. And take your eye-patch off too."

"Why do I need to take my eye-patch off?"

"Because for magical uses, the old saying about 'the eyes being the window to the soul' is not just a saying." Jeepers walked over to her with a wicked-looking needle and an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. "Your arm, please?"

Onyx cringed at the sight of the needle, and held her arm out gingerly, looking away. She took a breath and forced herself to relax – as long as she didn't see the needle going into her arm, she didn't have a problem with it. Usually. Her arms were burnt to hell right now, and that complicates things a bit.

The cotton ball of alcohol stung like hell, and it took a lot of willpower on Onyx's part to not slap the man away and pull back, hiding behind Dexter. Instead, she clenched her teeth together and squeezed her eyes tight shut till he was done. Her fingernails were making her palms bleed, she was clenching her hands so tightly.

Once her blood was drawn and a bit of her hair was cut, Jeepers took afore-mentioned items over to the stove, where Vorn stood up and pulled a small cauldron out of a bag, placing it on the stove. Jeepers handed him the items, and went back to Onyx, Vorn's wings blocking the view of what he was doing. Onyx knew what was next, so, after glancing at Dexter, who had not seen her eye change colors yet, took off her eye-patch.

"Interesting duel coloration. You said you lost your sight after being hit in the side of the head?" Jeepers asked, rubbing his chin. Onyx nodded. "Hmm. A blinded eye does not turn that shade of blue – usually, if it changes at all, it becomes a pale blue with a whitened pupil, not an icy blue with a black pupil."

"Funny choice of words, I thought it looked kind of icy too when I first saw it in the mirror. Like a bunch of tiny blue ice shards had been lain over a black velvet cloth." Onyx commented.

"Aptly said. Well, while Vorn is cooking up a spell, let's see what your eyes tell us." Jeepers muttered, pulling a chair over and sitting on the back of it, and leaned in real close to her. Onyx leaned back.

"Whoa, hey, what happened to personal space here?" she asked frantically.

"You don't have it here. Now, sit up straight and look straight at the tip of this pencil." He replied, holding a pencil eraser up. Onyx glared at him, but sat up anyways and stared straight ahead.

Jeepers concentrated on one eye, then the other, then back to the first with a flashlight, and repeated, multiple times. The only sounds where something bubbling on the stove over by Vorn, and Dexter scuffing his shoes on the tile.

After a few minutes of this, Jeepers jumped down from the chair he was on and lifted her arms again, inspecting carefully the burns on both arms, poking and prodding, yet taking care not to be too rough. Onyx just clenched her teeth through it all. Finally, he spoke again.

"Hey you, what was your name… Dexter. Go get the Lobe for me, will you?" he asked, not looking up from Onyx's burns.

"Uh, okay." He replied, and got up, walking out the door after glancing at Onyx worriedly.

Once the door clicked shut, Jeepers stood back and glared at Onyx.

"There is no way you could have this much elemental power and not know about it." He scolded the girl. "That cleansed water is sending it off in waves, and even your physical appearance is affected by it. Those burns on your arms should be five times worse than they are. For shame." He ended, wagging a finger at her.

Onyx glared back, before losing the will and turned away. "Yeah, I knew about my magic. My aunt was a hedge witch. But she died from over-using it, relying too much on her power and forgetting about her human needs, so I tried to suppress mine."

"And why didn't you say anything to us about it?" Vorn asked gently, turning from the cauldron.

"I didn't want anyone else to know." She said, voice starting to crack a little bit. She pulled her legs up to her chest and put her arms around them, burying her face in her knees. Her long hair spilled over the counter to almost reach the floor. Jeepers look softened and he looked back at Vorn for a second. They knew that kind of pain.

"You realize that suppression of an elemental power only makes it flare at times to bite you back?" Jeepers asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Ice doesn't do it very often, but when it does, it's sharp and biting in the extreme."

Onyx lifted her head. "Ice?" she asked, knitting her brows together. "Jeepers, my power is with fire. It's my resistance to it that saved my arms in that theatre, and the reason my hair is the color it is." She told him, then snapped her fingers, and a small flame flickered into her palm. Vorn was about to ask something, but shut his mouth as the door opened, and Dexter and Lobe walked in. Onyx closed her hand, snuffing the flame before they could see it.

"You needed to see me?" the Lobe asked.

"Only to tell you that you can have your assistant back, once she gets dressed again." Jeepers told him, walking over to the stove and peering into the cauldron Vorn was working with. "I'll have a report for you on the results tomorrow morning." He sounded almost uninterested in it, a complete turnaround from the scolding he had given Onyx a minute ago.

"Good. I expect it to be typed up, not written in that chicken scratch you call penmanship. And good grief girl, put some clothes on. You can go home now."

"For gosh darn it, it's called CALLIGRAPHY!" Jeepers yelled at him, shaking a fist as Onyx put her clothes and eye patch back on.

She wondered for minute about something, then asked "Why did you have me strip in the first place, when you only needed my arms, my hair, and to check my eyes?" Then her eye widened as it dawned on her. Jeepers let out a nervous chuckle, before ducking out the door and heading down the hallway as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Why you…!" she screeched, and grabbed a cheese grater (conveniently placed on the counter), chasing after him. Dexter waved at Vorn and Lobe before running after her. 

"Onyx, don't kill him!"

_.:Internet zombie dish go to doll! HEY! Frustration nickel naked pasta! HEY! Online gaming make pooch-burro? Nay he… HEY! Almond jar! CTRL ALT DELETE!:._

Onyx and Dexter made it back to her house just as the sun dipped below the horizon and plunged the city into darkness. Clera greeted them at the door.

"Onyx, what happened? Your cell phone kept going straight to voice mail." She asked.

"Heh, sorry sis, got caught up watching movies at Dexter's house and didn't notice it had died…" was the girl's reply, looking a little sheepish.

"Well, Dmitri is in here playing Mario Kart against Taylor, and I almost gave up on waiting for you guys for dinner. Come on, we're having stir fry and penne noodles."

_.:Remember when you ran away and I got on my knees and begged you not leave because I'd go berserk?:._

Jeepers and Vorn sat in their makeshift lab at Lobe's nuclear compound. They were trying to figure out what was up with the power Onyx had. She claimed her magic was with fire, but Jeepers' readings pointed to ice.

"I haven't seen something like this before, Vorn. That blinded eye of hers is practically ice incarnate, I'm surprised her tears aren't frozen as they fall."

"But Jeepers, her hair is, as she said, a bloody fiery color, and she obviously had a resistance to the heat itself to save her arms. And she conjured a flame in her hand. Quite easily, I might add."

"Yes, I saw. And the girl was surprised when I mentioned the ice. You know, she did say her eye didn't go blind and change colors until after she was hit with the beam from the theatre. Perhaps the impact unlocked her ice, and it lashed out as a result, blinding her in that side."

"That would explain it… as well as why her arms are even injured at all. If she had control of both of her elements, then she would have gotten out of that burning building without a scratch."

_.:Happy Halloween!:._****

Natha's Notes: Okay, so, like I said before, sorry about not updating for so flippen long =/ Time got away from me.  
In other news – Don't expect another update in November – because I'm going to try the NaNoWriMo this year. That will take up all of my free time, that isn't already being taken up by my wonderful Swedish boyfriend. Boyfriends require a lot of free time… but I'm not complaining! Not n the least! I love my boyfriend very, very much, and am often sad when he finally logs off to go to bed.


	16. Chapter 16 Aliens and Imps, Oh My!

**So… yeah, NaNoWriMo I believe is a fail this year =/ Here it is the end of the month, and I haven't even been able to get a full paragraph down. And Freakazoid is the only thing running through my head over and over again. Though now that I finally sit down to temporarily give up on NaNo and write on Freakazoid, every idea leaves my brain, ha-ha.  
And I'm ashamed none of you tried to tell me which songs my dividers came from -_-  
Demonic – Ha-ha! I never thought of that, that's good! XD  
****Entity – Looking forward to it! Thanks for the support too =)  
Lillith (And Faye, and Nate) – No, not exactly an elemental. She is human, just, she's a witch basically, with elemental powers. And, umm, Faye, that would only turn Jeepers on in the end… you're not really making progress with that baseball bat with glass stuck in it, ha-ha.  
Magma – Thank-you! Yes, I've kinda made up my own explanation on magic with picking and choosing a few things here and there that I hear. Go with what, to me, makes sense, you know?  
Jordy – Thank-you! =)**

_**Freakazoid does not belong to me. If it did, there would be an episode with Freakazoid going crazy with glow sticks. Any characters from other stories do not belong to me either.**_

Freakazoid paced around the Freaka-lair, completely and utterly bored. The major villains were all so busy with the Lode Stone that they didn't have time for their usual spouts of crime. The Huntsman was probably sitting in his cave on the verge of tears because of the lack of crime. And Cosgrove was off at cop conference that was expected to take all day.

True, he could go find Dr. Jones or Roddy and go do something with them, but he didn't feel like it, and he was a little leery at the moment about going to find Onyx. Now that both of them were keeping a pretty important secret from each other, it was bound to be awkward for a little while. He turned his cell off, knowing she would probably call looking for Dex. Damn he seemed like a coward right now. So that left him and Dexter alone with their thoughts.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice behind him, but was denied the ability as two fat green arms wrapped around him and squeezed.

"Eh, Mo-Ron found Red Underwear Man!"

It took a few minutes, but somehow, Freakazoid managed to escape Mo-Ron's crushing hug. And jumped out of the way of another. After a minute or two of avoiding hugs this way, he managed to attach himself to a chandelier out of Mo-Ron's reach.

"Mo-Ron, not that it isn't an absolute and profound sense of excitement that I am feeling over seeing you and all, but, why are you here? I thought we sent you home."

Mo-Ron paused for a moment, hemming and hawing to himself, before finally answering.

"Mo-Ron needs your help. It's a problem of the WHOLE galaxy." He told Freakazoid, spreading his chubby arms wide in emphasis. Freak raised an eyebrow.

"Barbie's little sister is named Skipper, we've been over this already."

"No. Mo-Ron needs to find something, and Red Underwear Man can help." With this statement, Mo-Ron began going around the Freaka-lair, looking under the table and books and in cushions, behind Freakmobiles and around statues of past sidekicks. Freakazoid watched him for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders and getting down from his perch, helping search the lair. But he had no idea what he was looking for.

_**.:Hear, listen, can you hear, the haunting melody surrounding you? Weaving a magic spell all around you:.**_

Onyx lay on her bed, staring at her phone. She flipped it open, found Dexter's cell number on speed dial, and called him. Straight to voicemail. She hung up and put her phone back on the bed.

Five minutes later, she did it again. And again. She did this for about an hour. The phone went straight to voicemail each time. She never left a message – she didn't do answering machines. She turned over and lay on her back, looking up at the little silver dots on her black ceiling that were supposed to be stars. She couldn't call Dmitri, because Dmitri was out of town with her family for part of the day. She didn't know Ruby's cell number yet. Onyx was so bored.

She probably laid there for another half an hour before her phone rang. It barely got one ring finished before she had answered it, expecting Dexter.

_"Hello? That brain-head better have given me the right number. Is Onyx there?"_

"Umm, speaking?" Onyx said, unsure. The voice was kind of raspy, and familiar through the distortion of the phone line, but she wasn't exactly sure who it was. Or why the hell they had her cell number. "Who is this?"

_"It's Jeepers. Can you come to the park? Lobe wants Vorn and I to help you get your magic back under control."_

Onyx rolled her eyes and looked up at the clock. She had her chores done, Taylor was at work, and her sister was at a friend's house for help on some quilting problem. And she couldn't get a hold of Dexter via phone. Sure, why not?

"Yeah, I guess I can. But won't people see us? It's spring break." she asked. The last thing she wanted was for someone like Dexter or Dmitri walking by and seeing magic. That would be very difficult to talk her way out of.

"_Please, do you think Vorn could walk around normally looking like he does? We've set wards in the area. Besides, the majority of everyone had their bout of fun in the snow already, now they just see it as being too cold to be out and about."_

"If you say so. Okay then, be there in a little bit." She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply, and started rummaging around her room for her arm-warmers, hoodie, and black eye patch. She left a note on the kitchen table for her sister, grabbed her coat, scarf, keys, and left out the door, remembering to lock it.

_**.:In heavenly armor we'll enter the land: the battle belongs to the Lord. No weapon that's fashioned against us will stand: the battle belongs to the Lord:.**_

It took Onyx a few minutes to find Jeepers and Vorn. That is, they forgot to take the wards down, and it wasn't until they remembered and dispelled them for a moment that she found them.

"We need to work on your powers a lot more than I thought. You should have known how to find us, despite our forgetfulness, with all that magic inside you." Jeepers scolded. Onyx put her hands on her hips and glared.

"Hey, I told you I tried to suppress it. I know how powerful I am, and I know how to use it. If you're really going to force me to start using it again, it has to be poked back into the roaring flame it once was."

"Have you used your powers much since you went half blind? Your ice is mixing with our flame and the two will eventually begin battling for supremacy if you don't get a hold of both of them NOW. The two are already beginning to mess with you, you just haven't noticed it." Jeepers replied, piling sticks in the middle of the area that they had the ward up around.

"First we're going to bring in a few friends of mine that can provide a bit of help, both here in your magic and later on in guarding the Lodestone." Vorn said from behind her. Onyx jumped, having forgotten he was there. "And you're going to help us bring him here."

"Me? I've never summoned anyone before!" She freaked. "I don't even know these friends of yours."

Jeepers shook a stick at her. "We are your new mentors. Don't question us, just do." Onyx glared at the ground, silent. Great, she had more authority to submit quietly to.

"Don't worry about whether or not you can do it, it's a fairly simple summoning. With a little bit of warming up, you'll be fine." Vorn said, pulling three candles out of a grocery bag and placing them on the ground in front of pile of sticks. Onyx raised an eyebrow, starting to get an idea of what it was they wanted her to do.

"Alright, exercise one! Here before you are three candles. I want you to light the two outer candles, but not the center ones. The flames must stay steady."

"Pfft, that's easy." Famous last words of a fool.

_**.:Everything it seems I like's a little bit stronger, a little bit thicker, a little bit harmful for me:.**__  
_  
Two grueling hours, and many candles later. Onyx never thought it would be so hard to simply light two stupid little candles. She was sitting cross-legged on the snow in front of the candles.

First, she lit only the center candle.

"No, the two outer candles, not the center one. Do it again!"

All three candles at once.

"No! Only the outer two!"

All three candles, one at a time.

"Clean the gunk out of your ears!"

The left one lit, the right glowing.

"Must have a steady flame. Again!"

The right one lit, the left one burst into flame and incinerated.

"… Again."

The two outer ones lit, the center one incinerated.

"Do you know how to listen?"

The outer two became fireballs.

"NO! AGAIN! Control that fire!"

All three candles burst into flame and completely melted.

"What is your problem, I thought you said it was easy!"

Jeepers hat lit on fire this time. He ran around yelling for a moment before diving head first into a snow berm. Onyx ignored him and concentrated on the new candles that Vorn kept having to set out.

"If I may…" Vorn decided to say, "try thinking of these candles as something else."

"Like what? What else would I be setting fire to, other than Jeepers' hat?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders. Jeepers pulled his head out of the snow and glared at her.

"Well, say a friend of yours was tied up in rope, the knot is too difficult to undo, and you don't have anything to cut the it with. You would have to use your flame. But if you couldn't control it, then you would end up hurting your friend."

Onyx was quiet for a moment, thinking about it. It made sense. If Dexter or Dmitri or her family were in that situation, she wouldn't want to harm them. She repositioned her seat and looked at the candles, concentrating. Finally, the two outer candles lit into a steady flame.

"I did it!" she cheered.

"Good. Again." Jeepers replied. Onyx stared at him.

"What? I did it perfectly!"

"I know you did. I want you to be able to do this well enough you can do it while picking your nose."

"Jeepers, we've been here two hours already. My friend isn't going to wait on us much longer." Vorn cut in.

"Oh very well. But I want you taking those candles home with you and practicing for half an hour every day!" He told Onyx. She rolled her eyes. "Now, to summon this creature, we need you to move the fire from these candles to the stick pile."

"Is this part of the summoning?"

"No, not really. Vorn and I will bring him here, you just need to light the fire. Just extra practice on your control."

"Oh, okay then."

Another fifteen minutes of trying, and she managed to make the flame jump from the candles to the makeshift fire pit. Another few minutes of Jeepers and Vorn muttering low enough that Onyx couldn't make out their words, before they sat down.

"Now we wait."

"For how long?"

"Oh, a few seconds should suffice."

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Onyx could hear a high pitch noise, getting louder.

"…eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…"

"What the…?"

"…eeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HCTIBISHERE!"

A small burst of flame erupted in the fire pit, causing a smoke cloud to puff up. When the smoke cleared, the fire was out, and a small, chubby, red imp with red overalls on was standing in the embers, grinning.

"Fire Lord Hctib Elttil is here!" It screamed in a high pitched voice. Then it looked around. "Wait, this isn't my story… Oh hi Vorn!"

"Greetings, Hctib Elttil. How have you been?"

Vorn and Hctib chatted a bit, while Onyx leaned over and whispered in Jeepers' ear.

"Does he realize the meaning of his name?" she asked, in a monotone voice.

"No one has had the heart to tell him…" was the reply. "You want to be the first?"

"No…"

"Wise decision. Me either."

"So, who is this other friend we need to summon?"

"Oh, he's already here."

Onyx raised an eyebrow and looked around, but couldn't see anyone. The imp however seemed to be arguing with… no one. He was yelling in high pitched tones to the thin air next to him.

"I am Fire Lord Hctib Elttil, no frosty sprite says no to me! Hey, where are you going, get back here!" It yelled, seemingly chasing after something. That was coming their direction.

"Uh, Jeepers, help me out here, and I supposed to be seeing something?" Onyx asked, confused.

"Try taking that eye patch off, and you might see me." Came a voice that was NOT Jeepers. It came from in front of her.

"But I can't see with this eye at all." Her nose suddenly became very cold.

"You can't see heat with that eye. Go ahead, try taking it off, you should be able to see me with it."

_**.:You've nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, your village will burn like the heart of the sun! With infinite glee, it's going to be me that slaughters the world:.**_

**Natha's notes: HORRAY I got another chapter out! =D *does the happy dance* So, yeah, the imp… heh… he's from an online comic I read called 'Looking for Group'. He's Richard's imp. That quote above as my last divider is a quote from Richard, he's my favorite character, lol. When he told Cale his familiar's name, he said that he wanted to 'name him something that would describe his status in our relationship'. The imp goes through the whole comic thus far without knowing the meaning of his name XD But I digress…  
So, who do you think the other 'friend', with the mysterious detached voice is? And yes, I know, I only gave Freakazoid and Mo-Ron a short bit in this chapter. I need to give him more screen time… Next chapter should have more Freakazoid in it, I promise. Though I don't know how, I plan this all as I go along, lol. I'll make sure he's in it though.**


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